ASOF 2026 · ACADEMIA RELATIONS SIDE SESSION
SUMMARY REPORT
ASOF 2026 · Dilijan, Armenia · 19 June 2026
The Session at a Glance
The sequence of topics, and the panel that carried them
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AGENDA OF TOPICS
THE PANEL
2:00
5 min
Welcome and framing
Mary A. Papazian
2:05
15 min
The reform: architecture and roadmap
Minister Zhanna Antreasyan
2:20
15 min
From architecture to implementation
Mary A. Papazian
2:35
10 min
Q&A on both presentations
Audience
2:45
50 min
Panel discussion: three questions
Five panelists
3:35
10 min
Audience exchange and close
All
Zhanna Antreasyan
Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport
The architect of the law
Bruce Boghosian
President, American University of Armenia
The diaspora-built institution
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan
Rector, Yerevan State University
The flagship of the state system
Maria Baghramian
ERA Chair Professor, AUA · Lead, ETICA
Ethics, autonomy, and EU integration
Mariam Jilavyan
representing Suzanna Shamakhyan, Exec. Director, FAST
The innovation ecosystem
ASOF 2026 · ACADEMIA RELATIONS SIDE SESSION
SUMMARY REPORT
ASOF 2026 · Dilijan, Armenia · 19 June 2026
The Law, and Where We Focused
Eight interlocking reforms; the three questions we pressed
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THE LAW IN BRIEF — EIGHT REFORMS
1
Unified HE and science
NAS becomes a foundation; the Soviet split ends.
2
EHEA alignment
Three-cycle degrees; the PhD as a true third cycle.
3
Horizontal management
Distributed authority replaces ministerial control.
4
Quality assurance overhaul
New accreditation standards; ANQA recast.
5
Funding and scholarships
No qualified student excluded for lack of means.
6
Flexible learning
Micro-credentials, distance, lifelong learning.
7
Research-based orientation
Research-intensive HE; commercialization measures.
8
The Academic City
Legal basis for one suburban campus by 2030.
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THE THREE QUESTIONS ON WHICH WE FOCUSED
I
The Autonomy Question
Where in the law versus where in practice.
II
The Research Integration Question
Merging NAS into universities without losing capacity.
III
The Academic City Reality Test
What depends on the campus, and what does not.