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Annual Report of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for 2005

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Annual Report of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for 2005 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES FOR 2005 CONTENTS Chapter I PRESIDENT’S REPORT Appendices to Chapter I Appendix 1 Academy’s Activities Relating to European Integration Appendix 2 An Overview of Distinctions, Awards, and Prizes Awarded by the Academy in 2005 Appendix 3 An Overview of Distinctions, Awards, Prizes Awarded to the Academy’s Staff Employees in 2005 Chapter II SCIENTIFIC PERFORMANCE The Most Substantial Scientific Results in: A/ Advancement of Scientific Knowledge B/ Application in Social Practice C/ International Scientific Projects D/ Editorial and Publishing Activity E/ Centres of Excellence at the Academy F/ Participation in Science and Technology Support Programmes Chapter III DOCTORAL STUDY PROGRAMME AND PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITY Chapter IV INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CO-OPERATION Chapter V CO-OPERATION WITH UNIVERSITIES Chapter VI ACCREDITATION AND EVALUATION OF SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTES Chapter VII ACTIVITY OF THE ASSEMBLY Chapter VIII ACTIVITY OF THE SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL Chapter IX ACTIVITY OF THE LEARNED SOCIETY Chapter X ACTIVITY OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES Chapter XI SPECIALISED AND SERVICE ORGANISATIONS Chapter XII ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE Chapter XIII SYSTEM OF CONTROL AND/OR OVERSIGHT Chapter XIV PROVISION OF INFORMATION IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW ON FREE ACCESS TO INFORMATION Appendices to Chapter II Appendix 1 Patenting and Licensing Activity Appendix 2 List of Scientific and Popular Science Publications Published by VEDA, Publishing House of the SAS Appendix 3 List of Other Monographs and Professional/Specialised Publications Appendix 4 Periodicals and Yearbooks Published at and/or Edited by the Academy Appendix 5 Contractual Co-operation of the Academy, Based on Inter-Academic Agreements Appendix 6 List of Scientific and Scholarly Societies, Unions and Associations Affiliated with the Academy Appendix 7 Membership of the SR in International Non-Governmental Scientific and Scholarly Organisations Supported from the Academy’s Budget PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLEMENT I. PRESIDENT’S REPORT The present Annual Report contains core information on the activities and performance of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Academy’ or ‘SAS’ as acronym) in 2005. In the previous years we often devoted our attention to legislation and we pointed out to the problems of funding science in Slovakia. In this respect, the year 2005 brought about a certain movement and a promise for the future. With a due amount of compromise, a new Act on Organisation of State Support for Research and Development (172/2005 Coll.), which accentuates system of grants, was passed. The Minerva programme was worked out. It reflects the requirements for competitiveness of Slovakia within the frame of the EU Lisbon Strategy and, inter alia, opens up a space for the establishment of the first national centres of excellence in 2006. It assigns a task to pay yet more attention also to science popularisation. The Eurobarometer survey data document that Europe lags behind the USA also in this respect. The previously cancelled call for new projects launched by the Science and Technology Assistance Agency was reopen; the projects are due to start in the first half of 2006. The Academy has recorded success in the competition for the European Social Fund projects. In 2005 we received the first grants in the sum total SKK 65 mil. Last, but by no means the least important fact is that the ad-lib situation in appointment to the post of director-general of the science and technology section at the Ministry of Education of the SR was terminated. In 2005, accreditation of the Academy’s scientific organisations within the cycle 2003 – 2005 was completed. The remaining five organisations were granted accreditation; three of such organisations were ranked into category A and two organisations were ranked into category B. The principal intra-academic events of the year were the elections to membership in the Academy’s Presidium, Scientific Council, and Assembly for the 2005-2009 term of office. The Presidium’s membership was altered by 60% (9 new members). The first half of the year of the activities of the newly elected bodies was marked by setting out programmes and plans for reaching their objectives. The new persons in the authority at the respective Academy section got acquainted with the current situation at individual institutes. As regards allocation of budget funds to individual institutes, the new Presidium accentuates achievements; an indicator for measuring such achievements are the results of evaluation and accreditation. In his respect, the first step adopted was to re-establish the ad-hoc committee for remuneration reform. The committee came up with a proposal to distribute a part of the wage fund proportionately to accreditation scores for the period of 2003-2005. (In 2006 this was realised in the range of up to ± 3% of the wage fund of the respective institute.) In an effort to accentuate the reality of such intention, already by the end of 2005 the Presidium allocated ca SKK 6 mil. on wages (including mandatory deductions), pro rata to accreditation scores of individual organisations. Those funds were obtained by swopping them for unspent sources of other type. In deliberations with the Ministry of Finance of the SR, our argument in this matter was the remuneration reform. In December 2005 the Academy’s Presidium and Assembly approved the principles for allocation of budget funds for 2006 on budgetary organisations, and determination of the amount of contribution for Academy’s contributory organisations. The principles open up further space for redistribution of up to ± 1% of the wage-fund on the grounds of annual evaluation in the subsequent year. This incentive was applied at the beginning of 2006, too. Further adjustments of the budget will be possible after the new accreditation of Academy’s scientific institutes scheduled for 2007. Its criteria will be announced a year ahead so that the institutes could make the necessary arrangements. It should be noted here that the primary objective of the Academy is not mere redistribution of resources according to the present level of excellence and effectiveness; rather, its goal is to reach a frontal increase in these parameters. Pay rewards or other financial motivations are instruments to achieve the purpose. In the long-term, the mechanism for the distribution of budget funds, which is presently based on relative approaches, will have to be backed by absolute values of resources in proportion to performance. An increase in the Academy’s budget for 2006, the institutional component of which amounts to SKK 1.545 billion, was a relative success achieved in 2005. The initial budget of the Academy, as of January 2005, was SKK 1.481 billion. Such increase, however, does not solve the persisting problem of inadequate funding of research, particularly in the category of running costs. To make matters worse, the outlook for the period 2007 – 2009 remains stagnatory. It fails to take into account the concept for increasing funding for science and technology in the SR to 1.8% GDP by 2010. The objective of the Academy is to acquire the final budget (including research grants) in the amount of approximately SKK 2 billion, which corresponds to the ratio of grants to institutional component 25% : 75%. (At the Hungarian Academy of Sciences they have gone further, the ratio there is 38%: 62%) In the doctoral study and training programme, which in the academic year 2005/2006 undergoes a change to a new system, we have recorded a temporary decline in the number of new enrolled students. This situation stems from the fact that our institutes, particularly those grouped in the Section III, have still not yet been accredited to supervise doctorate study programmes; this is also related to accreditation of the respective universities and their faculties. As yet, 33 Academy institutes were granted accreditation status in 43 study programmes, and 120 new applicants were accepted to carry out projects on the topics designated by the Academy. In 2005, the number of doctoral students pursuing their doctoral studies at the Academy totalled 793; of those, 378 full-time. The number of students whose graduate theses were supervised at the Academy stood at 600. In 2005, the Štefan Schwarz Fund was fully operative, providing for 50% of salaries for 20 winners/ nominees of a competition for the best graduates of the doctoral programme, who could remain at their respective training institutes. Thereby post-doctorate posts were established for a four-year period. The year 2005 was marked by completion of projects under the EU 5th Framework Programme. Overall, during the entire period of the Programme, the Academy recorded 100 participants in such projects. As for EU 6th Framework Programme, in 2005 the number of Academy’s participants in the projects reached 76. Thus, the Academy is the most successful subject in the SR in these Programmes. Preparations for the 7th Framework Programme are currently underway, even though the recently approved European financial perspective for 2007-2013 brought disappointment to science. Initially intended investment of ca EUR 70 billion was temporarily cut down to approximately EUR 55 billion. The most important source for further development of our science will be EU funds for research infrastructures. As of January 15, 2006, the reservoir of projects was built up. If an exception is granted for the Bratislava region, the investments could reach SKK 30 billion. In 2005 and in early 2006 the Academy concluded its role of an administrator of state programmes (including orders) and the related agenda is being transferred to the Ministry of Education of the SR. The real time schedule for proceeding with the state programmes under these new conditions is unfortunately not yet known. From among accomplishments in 2005 in the domain of international co-operation, in which the Academy had its share, of note is the acceptance of application for membership of the Slovak Republic into the European Molecular Biology Conference as well as membership of Science and Technology Assistance Agency in the European Science Foundation.
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