Aram Salatian: The next stage of Armenia’s engineering sector is the transition from a community to an integrated system

Armenia’s private sector is already demonstrating significant achievements in engineering and technology, and one of the clearest indicators of this is the success of Armenian companies in international markets. This was stated by Aram Salatian, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Engineers of Armenia, during the first Armenian defense industry exhibition RISE-2026.

According to Salatian, Armenian companies are already capable not only of developing advanced products, including defense technologies, but also of successfully exporting them abroad. However, he emphasized that even more important are the internal processes currently shaping the future of the industry.

Education Is Moving Closer to Industry

Salatian noted that three key trends are clearly visible in the private sector today. The first is the growing integration of education and industry.

According to him, many companies are now working with universities to create new academic specializations, while training increasingly takes place directly at production facilities and within companies themselves. This approach enables the faster preparation of specialists in emerging fields and gives students access to the latest technologies and expertise.

He stressed that these changes are being driven by market demands. Technology is evolving rapidly, and competition is becoming increasingly intense. Under such conditions, success belongs to those who can train qualified engineers for new industries and areas of activity more quickly.

“We are witnessing a unique phenomenon where industry is effectively taking on part of the educational function and developing it jointly with universities,” he said.

Scientific Research Is Moving Into Industry

According to Salatian, the second major trend is the growing integration of scientific research into the industrial sector.

He noted that Armenian engineering companies are now capable of defining long-term research objectives and commissioning corresponding work from the country’s research centers and laboratories.

Whereas research once often existed separately from manufacturing, industry is now beginning to generate its own demand for scientific development, creating a sustainable link between fundamental science and real market needs.

According to Salatian, this reflects the growing maturity of the sector, which is increasingly capable of thinking in long-term terms and investing in future technological solutions.

Armenian Companies Are Beginning to Work Together

The third important trend, Salatian said, is the strengthening of cooperation among Armenian companies.

Modern technologies, new business models, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence require such large volumes of knowledge and resources that individual companies often cannot possess them on their own.

As a result, businesses are increasingly building partnerships with one another.

“Companies are gradually becoming networked structures, and the industry itself is turning into an interconnected ecosystem,” he emphasized.

According to him, this process marks a transition from isolated market players to a true professional community in which participants collaborate closely and reinforce one another.

In his assessment, the sector has already progressed from a collection of individual companies to the formation of a professional community. The next challenge is to evolve into a fully integrated system.

“We are witnessing an evolution: first an industry, then a community, and finally a system. If we can transform our sector into a system where all participants are deeply interconnected, that will become Armenia’s next major success,” he said.

Government and Business Have Created a Competitive Advantage

Speaking about cooperation between the state and the private sector, Salatian noted that Armenia has already developed an effective model of collaboration in the engineering and technology sphere.

According to him, foreign specialists and experts regularly come to Armenia to teach and exchange experience. However, after becoming familiar with the local model of interaction between government institutions, businesses, and industry organizations, many of them begin adopting elements of the Armenian approach themselves.

He believes that the partnership between the state and private sector has become one of the country’s key competitive advantages.

“In our field, cooperation between government and business works very successfully. It is truly one of Armenia’s competitive advantages,” he concluded.