About ERA Chair project

    L. A. Orbeli Institute of Physiology NAS RA was awarded five-year grant under Horizon Europe, the European Union’s key funding program for research and innovation https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/index_en

    The European Research Area (ERA) is the ambition to create a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology across the European Union and it helps countries be more effective together, by strongly aligning their research policies and programs. ERA projects increase research capacity of universities and research centers by attracting high-level researchers and establishing research teams fully integrated in the coordinator’s institution. More details can be found at https://rea.ec.europa.eu/funding-and-grants/horizon-europe-widening-participation-and-spreading-excellence/era-chairs_en

    The project’s grant agreement has been signed in December 2022 defining duration of activities until November 2027.


    The Regional Center of Excellence (NAR-SAR-IPH) Project aims to enhance the research and innovation environment at the Orbeli Institute of Physiology, a leading biomedical institution in Armenia.

    Under the leadership of ERA Chair Holder, the Project aims to achieve the following objectives:

    • Establishment of a regional biovisualization research excellence core
    • Creation of a new research group with a focus on hyperspectral imaging of surgical targets
    • Implementation of additional state-of-the-art protocols in the field of tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting
    • Improvement of compliance environment covering animal use, biosafety, and human subjects

    Long-term sustainability will be ensured through the establishment of a grant support and scientific writing unit, training of junior researchers in data and image analysis, and collaborative arrangements with the regional medical centers.

    Orbeli Institute of Physiology (OIPH)

    Orbeli Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia (OIPH NAS RA) was established by a famous physiologist Leon Orbeli during a turbulent period of the World War II. The Institute had a clear objective of concentrating in one place research efforts that had been conducted over the years at different Armenian universities in physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology fields. Despite its multiple relocations and reorganizations over the past 75 years, the Institute has maintained a fierce dedication to educate the advanced physiology professionals. Today the OIPH is actively re-establishing its scientific status and collaborative ties. Participation in various grant programs and initiatives has allowed to partially renew the experimental and technical base of the Institute, renovate its infrastructure and provided an opportunity to be actively engaged in the utilization of digital technologies in the biomedical research. It strives to strengthen the links between its academic efforts and clinical medicine.

    Country - Armenia

    Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia in the northeast of Asia Minor (Armenian Plateau), the Republic of Armenia with an area of 29,800 sq km, the country is about the size of Belgium. Armenia borders with Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, and Georgia and has a population of 2.9 million. Ethnically, Armenia is a homogeneous country with 95% of its citizens identifying themselves as Armenians. The Armenian Diaspora, estimated at around 10 million people, is spread over 85 countries. Beyond the humanitarian, developmental work, and political support, the Diaspora plays an active role in attracting foreign investments. Armenians are proud of being the first nation to officially adopt Christianity as the state religion, of their unique language with its alphabet dating back to the 5th century AD, and of their rich cultural heritage. An important aspect of Armenian culture, relevant to this proposal, is the high value Armenians put on education. Despite many years of hardship, Armenia continues to have high levels of literacy and high rates of educational enrollment: as of 2019 close to 100% of its population had comleted secondary education and 52.2% had attained tertiary or graduate-level education.

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