The report summarises the work conducted by the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme (ECP) under the oversight of the OECD Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Initiative Steering Committee, in collaboration with the Government of Armenia and with involvement from the private sector and international organisations operating in Armenia.
The active engagement and valuable contributions of representatives from the Armenian government, and, in particular, the Ministry of Economy, as well as the Ministry of High-Tech Industry, various government agencies, private sector associations, non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders were greatly appreciated. Their engagement and insights were instrumental in shaping this report.
In particular, the OECD would like to extend its gratitude to Rafayel Gevorgyan (Deputy Minister of Economy), Narine Haroyan (Advisor to Deputy Minister of Economy), Lilit Hakobyan (Head of the Entrepreneurship Department of the Ministry of Economy), and Hamlet Mkrtchyan (Department of Knowledge-Based Economy, Ministry of Economy) for shaping and contributing to the project in all phases. The Organisation is also grateful for the contribution of Gevorg Mantashyan (First Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry). In addition, the Organisation extends its gratitude to Hayk Margaryan (former Director of the National Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
The OECD is grateful for the support received from the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, notably to Frank Hess (Head of Cooperation) and Antonis Tsamoulis (Cooperation Officer), and deeply appreciates the invaluable contribution of the World Bank, particularly of Ifeyinwa Bonheur (Senior Private Sector Specialist), and Gohar Malumyan (Digital Development Consultant).
The report, as well as working group discussions, benefitted from very insightful inputs from representatives of the private sector, notably Hovsep Patvakanyan (Head of Investment Council of Armenia), Sam Simonian and Bahareh Fatemi (respectively Cofounder of TUMO and Head of TUMO Labs at EU TUMO Convergence Center), Amalya Yeghoyan (Executive Director at Gyumri Information Technologies Center), Edita Ghazaryan and Kima Ghulyan (respectively Director of Development and Special Project and Program Manager, both at the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises).
Anita Zimele (Deputy Director of Department of Business Support, Ministry of Economics of Latvia), in her role of lead reviewer, provided insightful input and comments that enriched the report and contributed substantially to the development of the recommendations.
CIVITTA’s contribution was instrumental in shaping the analytical framework at the core of the analysis presented this report and extracting key insights to inform recommendations. The OECD is particularly grateful to Sevak Hovhannisyan (Partner), Armen Alaverdyan (Project Manager), and Qnarik Baghdasaryan (Senior Consultant).
The project is carried out as part of the EU4Business: From Policies to Action – Phase 2, implemented by the OECD in the Eastern Partnership, with the financial support of the European Union under its EU4Business initiative. Gerald Audaz and Jeanne Robles (team leader and programme manager, respectively, at DG NEAR, EU Commission) provided important guidance and support for this project.
This report was written under the guidance of Andreas Schaal, Director of the OECD Directorate for Global Relations and Co-operation, and William Tompson, Head of the OECD Eurasia Division.
The project was managed by Daniel Quadbeck, Senior Policy Analyst and Head of the Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Unit.
The main author of this report is Carlotta Moiso with substantial support provided by Francesco Alfonso and Clara Le Cannellier, and initial assistance from Zhasmine Avetisyan (all from the OECD Eurasia Division).
The report was reviewed by Marzena Kisielewska, and Marijana Petrova (respectively Head and Team Leader of the OECD South East Europe Division).
The implementation of the project was made possible by Elisa Larrakoetxea and Mariana Tanova (both from the OECD Eurasia Division).