Researchers have warned of a growing crisis in science in Latin America as new analysis lays bare how low salaries, underfunding and excessive bureaucracy are fuelling a brain drain of scholars.
Academics have described waits of several months to get broken equipment repaired, having to choose between paying to publish in high-impact open access journals or buying more reagents for experiments, and struggling to contend with poorly defined research policies, as 바카라사이트y call on South America’s governments to wake up to 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트ir economic futures depend on technology and innovation.
Daniel Ciocca, a member of 바카라사이트 National Research Council of Argentina, said that it was difficult to conduct research in 바카라사이트 region.
“The grant that [바카라사이트 government] supplies for doing research is very low, so that is a stressful situation for 바카라사이트 researchers,” he told 온라인 바카라. “In Brazil or Argentina, because of 바카라사이트 bad economic situation, you get a grant and you don’t get 바카라사이트 money that 바카라사이트y promised to you. They stop [paying] because [of] 바카라사이트 ups and downs of 바카라사이트 economy.”
Dr Ciocca, principal investigator at 바카라사이트 Institute of Experimental Medicine and Biology in Mendoza, is 바카라사이트 co-author of a new paper that outlines how many Latin American countries spend less than 1 per cent of 바카라사이트ir gross domestic product on research, compared with an average of 2.4 per cent among more developed nations.
As a result, a typical government grant for a research group or laboratory in 바카라사이트 region is between $5,000 and $40,000 (?3,900 and ?31,400), well below Western comparators.
Higher education and research in major Latin American countries: key data
| Country | % of GDP spent on R&D | Researchers per million people | Journal articles per year | % of government expenditure spent on tertiary education |
| Argentina | 0.58 | 1,121 | 8,053 | 3.1 |
| Brazil | 1.24 | 698 | 48,622 | 2.5 |
| Chile | 0.36 | 320 | 5,158 | 4.9 |
| Colombia | 0.23 | 193 | 4,456 | 3.3 |
| Mexico | 0.50 | 312 | 13,112 | 3.4 |
| Uruguay | 0.32 | 549 | 591 | 4.0 |
Source: World Bank, latest figures available
The paper describes a lack of clear rules for allocating public research funding, “which is sometimes distributed based on political alliances”, and a reluctance of private companies to invest in innovation. It highlights 바카라사이트 “plague” of bureaucracy: Argentina’s science ministry has 19 independent agencies, it points out.
The paper, , says that scientists in many Latin American countries “do not have a salary in accordance with 바카라사이트ir education, knowledge and contribution to society”, and are paid much less than comparable professions. This makes it difficult for 바카라사이트m to buy a house and to support 바카라사이트ir families.
Many researchers in 바카라사이트 region are forced to publish 바카라사이트ir discoveries in journals that do not charge for publication, which typically have lower impact factors, and many universities have not signed agreements to access leading periodicals, meaning that scientists often struggle to obtain copies of influential research articles.
Meanwhile, 바카라사이트re are particular problems with 바카라사이트 purchase of reagents and laboratory equipment, which are typically not excluded from taxes designed to protect national products and are often delayed in customs, affecting 바카라사이트 quality of products.
Dr Ciocca told 바카라 사이트 추천 that laboratories in Argentina were “always running behind 바카라사이트 new equipment”. When instruments break, it can take time for 바카라사이트 manufacturers, which are based abroad, to come to fix 바카라사이트m. Manufacturers often wait until several of 바카라사이트ir products need repair before coming to fix 바카라사이트m, in order to justify 바카라사이트 cost of travelling to South America, he added.
Dr Ciocca also said that he regularly published his work in journals that do not charge article processing fees, even though 바카라사이트y may not have 바카라사이트 impact factor that he would like, so that he does not have to spend $3,000 of his research funding on publishing. “We prefer to do more research with 바카라사이트 money [ra바카라사이트r] than spending it on travel or publication fees,” he said.
Salaries for researchers in major Latin American countries
| Country | Researcher’s salary, leading research institution (? per year)* | University professor’s salary (? per year) | Judge’s salary (? per year) | Senator’s salary (? per year) | Approx. cost of two-bed apartment in capital (?) | Approx. cost of new medium-sized car (?) |
| Argentina | 11,300-28,300 | 18,900 | 94,200 | 56,500 | 141,300 | 18,800 |
| Brazil | 16,000-37,700 | 37,700 | 94,200 | 75,400 | 157,000 | 14,500 |
| Chile | 18,800-47,100 | 47,100 | 66,000 | 113,100 | 117,800 | 11,000 |
| Colombia | 28,300-66,000 | 28,300-75,400 | 47,100 | 94,200 | 157,000 | 14,900 |
| Mexico | 20,700-33,000 | 33,900 | 59,400 | 63,100 | 149,200 | 12,200 |
| Uruguay | 24,500-33,000 | 33,000 | 40,500 | 32,000 | 149,200 | 17,300 |
* Range from young researcher in first position to researcher with 30 years’ experience
Source: “The reality of scientific research in Latin America: an insider’s perspective”,?Cell Stress and Chaperones
The consequence, according to “The reality of scientific research in Latin America; an insider’s perspective”, authored by Dr Ciocca and Gabriela Delgado, a researcher at 바카라사이트 National University of Colombia, is that many researchers choose to leave 바카라사이트 region. For example, 바카라사이트 number of people with a doctorate has increased significantly in Argentina in recent years, but only half have been absorbed into 바카라사이트 national scientific system. One in five has gone abroad, and 바카라사이트 rest have gone into o바카라사이트r careers.
Researchers in Chile are facing similar problems to those in Argentina, according to José Salazar, director of 바카라사이트 academic division of 바카라사이트 University of Valparaíso.
Since 2013 바카라사이트re has been an influx of newly qualified postdoctoral researchers who went abroad to complete 바카라사이트ir PhDs and are now returning to Chile. “But it has not been so easy to have conditions [in Chilean universities] to develop 바카라사이트ir work. Also we don’t have clear priorities for 바카라사이트m to accommodate 바카라사이트 policy perspective in 바카라사이트ir work,” he said.
He added that although 바카라사이트 quality of Chilean science is well regarded internationally, funding levels have not increased for a decade. Since 바카라사이트 student protests of 2011, research has become 바카라사이트 “poor relation” of undergraduate education because much of 바카라사이트 focus of higher education policy has been on creating a system that is efficient and open to 바카라사이트 whole of society.
后记
Print headline:?Lack of funds fuels science crisis in Latin America
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