Mongolia’s scientific landscape is undergoing structural transformation under Vision 2050, with the goal of building a national system of science, technology, and innovation that supports a knowledge-based economy. While key institutions such as the National University of Mongolia and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences form the core of the research system, overall R&D expenditure remains very low (0.08% of GDP in 2022), limiting research capacity and commercialization. The country is therefore focusing on strengthening technoparks, university–industry collaboration, and innovation infrastructure to reduce dependence on natural resource extraction and stimulate high-technology development.
Übersicht: Scientific Landscape of Mongolia
| Territory: | 1,564,116 km |
|---|---|
| Population | 3.60 million |
| Capital | Ulaanbaatar |
| Languages | Mongolian |
| GDP | $18 billion |
| Key research areas | Climate change and desertification Pastoralism and rangeland management (sustainable livestock, overgrazing) Water scarcity and water resource management Mining, environmental impact, and resource governance Urbanization and air pollution Renewable energy and energy transition Socio-economic development, rural livelihoods, migration |
Science system in Mongolia
Mongolia is implementing a long-term policy for the development of science, technology, and innovation as part of its national Vision 2050 program, which was officially approved by the Parliament in 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_2050_(Mongolia): https://vision2050.gov.mn
According to Vision 2050, for the period 2021–2030, Mongolia aims to turn science and innovation into a key driver of sustainable national development: a national system of science, technology, and innovation (STI) is being established, infrastructure is being expanded, and knowledge is viewed as an economic asset.
Source:https://en.iss.gov.mn/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2050_VISION_LONG-TERM-DEVELOPMENT-POLICY.pdf/https://vision2050.gov.mn
An important part of the strategy is the creation and active development of a network of technoparks and science-technology-innovation parks (STI parks), designed to strengthen links between academia, business, and the government, support commercialization of research, and stimulate the growth of high-technology sectors.
UNCTAD: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/tcsdtlinf2025d1_en.pdf
However, as highlighted in a recent review, Mongolia faces major challenges: insufficient R&D funding, weak commercialization of scientific results, limited university-industry collaboration, and an underdeveloped infrastructure for scaling technology-based enterprises.
UNCTAD: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/tcsdtlinf2025d1_en.pdf
Thus, Mongolia’s current policy is an effort to transform the country from a resource-dependent economy into a knowledge- and technology-driven economy, with an emphasis on science, innovation, infrastructure, and creating a favorable innovation ecosystem. Success will depend on decisions in financing, institutional reforms, incentives for the private sector, and effective coordination between academia, industry, and the government.
Research and development expenditure, percent of GDP
In 2022, Mongolia’s spending on R&D (research and development) amounted to 0.08% of GDP.
In 2021, it was 0.10% of GDP.
R&D expenditure (as a percentage of GDP) has been declining for two consecutive years.
Since monitoring began in 1997, this indicator has decreased by a factor of 2.01.
The highest level of R&D expenditure in Mongolia was recorded in 2008 at 0.34% of GDP.
The lowest value was observed in 2022, when it dropped to 0.08% of GDP.https://statbase.ru/data/mng-research-and-development-expenditure/)(figure 17)