The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) and its Dilijan Training and Research Center spearheaded the establishment of the pioneering Fab Labs in Dilijan and Yerevan with the goal of seeding the new Digital economy.

In 2014, under the visionary leadership of Deputy Governor Dr. Nerses Yeritsyan and in collaboration with Jacqueline Karaaslanian, Co-Founder of Learning Learning Architects, and Dr. Niel Gershenfeld, Head of the MIT Media Lab Center for Bits and Atoms, Armenia witnessed the inauguration of two fab labs. One found its home within the Ayb School in Yerevan, while the other nestled within the Central School of Dilijan.

From 2018 onward, The Central Bank of Armenia, led by Deputy Governors Dr. Nerses Yeritsyan and Dr. Armen Nurbekyan (former Head of the CBA Training and Research Center of Dilijan), supported the enrollment of Fab Lab Dilijan into the esteemed Fab Academy Program, administered by the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms and its Boston-based Fab Foundation. Over the past two decades, the Fab Academy program has forged a global network of 2,700 Fab Labs across 125 countries, fostering innovation and collaboration.

Beyond financing the purchase of the equipment for the two Fab Labs, CBA has been sustaining the operational costs for the Fab Lab Dilijan and providing scholarships for Fab Academy Graduates in Armenia. The CBA has been key in catalyzing the burgeoning digital economy in the country.

Since 2020, under the guidance of the new leadership of the Central Bank of Armenia, led by Governor Dr. Martin Galstyan, Fab Lab Dilijan has been priming itself for autonomy and evolving into The Fab Lab Armenia Education Foundation in August 2023.

Thanks to the sustained support of the Central Bank of Armenia, The Fab Lab Armenia Education Foundation has evolved into a dynamic Technology Learning and Training Hub, extending its impact beyond local communities. It now spearheads the establishment of Fab Labs nationwide, empowering individuals and educators with essential digital fabrication skills.

Additionally, it fosters a vibrant ecosystem by re-skilling professionals, fostering innovation among startups, and nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among young talents, thus laying the foundation for a thriving digital manufacturing network.