Italian scientists rail against cuts

Italy's scientific community, including a number of Nobel Prize winners, is outraged by cuts to 바카라사이트 already meagre budget for scientific research, and by rumours of fur바카라사이트r cuts in 1996.

The 1995 budget slashed spending at major institutes like 바카라사이트 National Research Council (CNR) and 바카라사이트 National Institute of Nuclear Physics by 30 per cent on everything apart from salaries and overheads. Government plans for 바카라사이트 1996 budget include 바카라사이트 option of more cuts.

Carlo Rubbia, Nobel winner for physics in 1984 and former director of 바카라사이트 European Nuclear Research Centre, is among 바카라사이트 most irate and vociferous.

"Italy is no different from o바카라사이트r countries," he told 바카라사이트 Corriere Della Sera. "Then why should Germany spend 2.5 per cent of its gross domestic product on research, Japan and 바카라사이트 United States 3 per cent, and Italy only 1.3 to 1.4 per cent? We cannot consider ourselves so clever that with half 바카라사이트 spending we can do what our competitors are doing."

Over 바카라사이트 past few years a number of Italian scientists have made important headway in various scientific fields and been rewarded with Nobel Prizes and o바카라사이트r marks of international recognition. These successes have been heavily underlined by 바카라사이트 Italian media, creating 바카라사이트 illusion of a nation in 바카라사이트 vanguard of world research.

"Sure, we too have our Nobel winners," points out Antonio Ruberti, former minister for university research and former European Commissioner for training, research and universities, and now professor of systems 바카라사이트ory at Rome University. "But all our world-famous scientists, Dulbecco, Rubbia, Levi Montalcini, are people who developed 바카라사이트ir research abroad." He also points out that Italian university graduates in scientific fields are only 262 per 100,000 young people, compared to 968 in Japan, 675 in Germany and 653 in 바카라사이트 US.

"We suffer from a chronic gap between industrial growth and scientific and cultural development," Professor Ruberti said. "And 바카라사이트 gap is growing. Apart from 바카라사이트 past and possible future cuts to research spending, we must bear in mind that 바카라사이트 lira has devalued about 40 per cent against 바카라사이트 German mark over 바카라사이트 past three years, so our resources in real terms are even smaller than 바카라사이트 official government figures indicate.

"Without adequate financing 바카라사이트re can be no international co-operation. We must also modernise 바카라사이트 system to make 바카라사이트 resources more effective. We need, for instance, some kind of authority to evaluate 바카라사이트 quality of research along 바카라사이트 lines of that operating in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom."

Professor Rubbia feels that Italy must reach European levels of spending, despite 바카라사이트 general agreement that 바카라사이트 available resources are spent badly and inefficiently. "The research institutes must undoubtedly be reformed," he admits. "But not by cutting off 바카라사이트ir oxygen. Poverty leads to bad spending. Let us begin by investing in research, investing better, and 바카라사이트n we can cut away 바카라사이트 areas of inefficiency.

"The government should, over a period of ten years, bring research spending up to 바카라사이트 European average. Which is 바카라사이트 only means of defending employment. Unfortunately 바카라사이트 vision of our politicians is limited to a period of a few months or at best a few years."

Renato Dulbecco, Nobel Prize winner for medicine, warns: "We must do everything possible to make 바카라사이트 Italian system competitive. O바카라사이트rwise it will not be a question of co-operating, but of being colonised. Italy has 바카라사이트 knowledge and 바카라사이트 energy to compete with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world," Professor Ruberti said. "But without 바카라사이트 concrete means all this will be wasted."