Karanik: Being a Scientist in Belarus Is Promising

The most valuable resource in any country is undoubtedly its people. The prestige of the scientific profession and attracting youth to science are supported by broad social guarantees provided by the state.

But is it prestigious to be a scientist in Belarus? Vladimir Karanik, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, shared his opinion in an "Actual Interview."

He recalled the times when the Soviet Union had just collapsed, and it was considered prestigious not to be a scientist, teacher, or doctor, but rather an economist, lawyer, or businessman. Even those who owned a small kiosk were called businessmen. “Undoubtedly, the service sector is important. You can’t do without these professions either, but the attention paid to them was inflated. There was a period when being a junior researcher was considered completely unprestigious and unfashionable, and telling people you were a scientist raised questions about social guarantees,” explained the Chairman of the Presidium of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences.

Vladimir Karanik believes that many scientists are passionate and dedicated to their work. They are sometimes willing to endure social problems and low salaries if they have the opportunity to realize their ideas, provided there is equipment, consumables, and reagents. However, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, these issues persisted. Today, he notes, the situation has improved, and the Academy is undergoing a generational shift.

"Nevertheless, the consequences of the late 1990s and early 2000s led to problems with the middle class. In Belarus, we have seasoned academicians whose ages are far from youthful, and 29% of young scientists, whose decisions have proven that being a scientist in Belarus is promising because youth primarily think about prospects, which in some way is also a form of prestige," emphasized the expert.

Karanik outlined that currently, Belarus faces the task of preventing a gap between schools and ensuring the continuity of generations. To this end, the Academy swiftly prepares young scientists, providing opportunities for them to implement their research ideas, thereby preserving existing scientific schools and establishing new ones.

The Chairman shared that in the early 2000s, when he approved the topic of his candidate thesis, colleagues approached him and asked why he was doing it. “At that moment, I answered simply: ‘So there’s something to put on a monument.’ Because, at that time, having a degree didn’t provide any other advantages,” he added.

Karanik expressed gratitude to the government and personally to the President of Belarus for timely recognizing the brewing crisis in science. Following this, systemic measures to support science were implemented—additional payments for degrees and titles, increased funding for research, and attention was directed toward academic, university, and sector-specific science. These steps helped save Belarusian science and preserve it. As he concluded, the level of support has grown significantly compared to those earlier years.