R&D funding in Armenia’s defense industry rises 50%

Within the framework of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia’s toolkit, state funding for research and development in the defense industry amounted to over 2.1 billion AMD last year.

Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said at a press briefing that this figure represents a 50% performance increase over the result recorded in 2024.

Hayrapetyan explained that the increase in funding was driven by well-founded, comprehensive reforms, which have made the program more attractive to defense industry companies.

“Last year, a series of substantive reforms were carried out in the defense industry. In particular, a new framework was established for research and experimental development [R&D] projects, which not only clarified and simplified the process for financing new R&D work but also introduced a new approach—the concept of technology readiness levels. This effectively allows companies to develop complex projects step by step through a sequence of research and experimental development activities. Under this approach, startup companies can begin with small funding, gradually mature their projects, and establish themselves as full-fledged companies,” the minister elaborated.