Slovak Academy of Sciences to receive a significant financial stimulus from the government
The Government of the Slovak Republic approved an increase in the funding of the Slovak Academy of Sciences by almost EUR 55 million for 2024-2026. The SAS shall receive EUR 12.5 million already this year, which is a 10 percent increase compared to the original budget.
These funds have already been allocated from the budget to fulfil the measures of the government's research, development and innovation strategy by 2030.
"The increase of the SAS budget is great news for the science in Slovakia. In addition to our baseline budget, which is a chapter in the state budget, we are receiving for the first time additional funds that should be used for development programs. The baseline budget allows us to keep the Academy in a more stable state. Now we have funds, which we have always looked for with difficulty and unsuccessfully, for development programs,” said Pavol Šajgalík, President of the SAS.
The financial stimulus raises the possibility of performance-based funding, which has the advantage over regular financing in that it finances intentions, ideas, projects that should see the light of day. The relevant institute or centre will focus on the objective it wants to achieve in the next few years. After the expiry of that period, the institution will announce whether the objective has been met. If it hasn´t, the given institution will no longer be supported to such a significant degree in the next period. Institutes that will meet the objectives will continue to be financed in the same way.
"The aim of this step is to ensure stable and predictable funding of public research institutions, which will contribute to increasing the quality of Slovak research. The novelty in the form of performance-based contracts is intended to strengthen the motivations of SAS institutes to improve in specific areas, which are a proven source of the increase in the quality of science in other countries as well. These areas include, for instance, the quality of the research projects results, cooperation with private companies or involvement in international cooperation," said Peter Kmec, Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Use of EU Funds.
The Slovak Academy of Sciences would also like to use the development funds for the reconstruction of its research complex at Patrónka in Bratislava.
“Nowadays, areas of this type should be as green, modern and accessible to the public as much as possible. We took a significant step and launched an architectural tender, which resulted in a proposed model that incorporates all these attributes and is literally world-class. The Office for the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Use of EU Funds is the one that could help SAS in funding the reconstruction of our research complex,” ads Pavol Šajgalík.
Edited by Monika Tináková
Foto: Radka Lacová, Úrad vlády SR, Natália Feriančeková a Martin Bystriansky