Opinions & Interviews
Karanik calls to establish merit-based support system for scientists in Belarus
Vladimir Karanik
MINSK, 13 November (BelTA) – Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) Vladimir Karanik has proposed merit-based support system for scientists to enhance their role in society following his report to Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 13 November, BelTA has learned.
In his opinion, while financial incentives are certainly important for enhancing the role of scientists in society, the current system must improve. “I fully agree with the president. He always emphasizes that we must support our scientists, because the country cannot advance without science today. However, this support cannot be the same for everyone,” the head of NASB said.
In particular, there should be no situation where scientists rest on their laurels after completing some scientific work or receiving a degree or rank.
“The state already provides you with a bonus for having a degree or rank. If you want this bonus to be higher, continue your research, participate in research projects, invent, create, learn, and keep moving forward. Then the state will support you,” Vladimir Karanik noted, comparing this approach to the “bicycle principle.” “As long as you are moving, you maintain balance. As soon as you stop, you fall. Therefore, we must help those who are moving to move faster and more safely. Those who stopped should be supported and respected for their past achievements, but our priority must be to encourage those who keep pushing forward,” he explained.
Vladimir Karanik emphasized that one of the key conditions for continuing and increasing state funding for science is strengthening ties with the real economy. “Like all government agencies and state organizations, the Academy of Sciences must evolve to meet the challenges and demands of our era. Practices that were acceptable a decade ago are now completely irrelevant, given today’s rapid pace of life and shifts in the global political situation,” he noted. “The main demands today from the head of state and the real economy are practical focus, efficiency, responsiveness, and tangible results.”
“No one is demanding we give up fundamental research or the quest for knowledge to turn into simple R&D wings of our major companies. Not at all. But we must clearly grasp our industry’s pressing issues and be ready to deliver the scientific expertise and methodological support to resolve them,” the head of the National Academy of Sciences continued. According to him, one of the non-negotiable demands is responsiveness. The problem, he noted, is that previously and sometimes still today the process of preparing research, finalizing paperwork, and passing expert assessments took far too long. This meant a lag of one to three years between an idea being born and it receiving funding. After such a long time, the real sector has simply moved on.
“We cannot afford to waste money. There must be a system that prevents irrelevant topics from even appearing,” Vladimir Karanik emphasized. “The Academy and its researchers must communicate more closely with real sector of the economy, understanding the issues on the ground and showcasing their capabilities, which exist in many areas of activity.”
For example, in January-September 2025, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus earned $64 million from exports, including revenue from research work and innovative products. “This means that the developments of the National Academy of Sciences are in demand even abroad. Some of them are unfamiliar to our real economy, and we must change this,” Vladimir Karanik concluded.
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