Erik leads the scientific side of HOVAK Energy and Water: modeling, feasibility analysis, and technical validation on the path to pilot readiness. An engineer-physicist by education (Yerevan State University, Faculty of Radiophysics) with over 25 years in applied engineering and industrial R&D, he also founded and runs SHANI — a research-and-production NGO operating a real multi-sector facility with a metal foundry, an electrotechnical laboratory, and prototyping workshops that serve as a practical incubator for early-stage industrial projects. The partnership speaks for itself: through SHANI, Erik has already built and bench-tested a working water-filtration prototype and taught a thirty-student robotics course — at his own facility, free of charge. HOVAK’s role in the partnership is to carry these proven projects to grant-funded scale.