Backlash over call for ¡®Darwinism¡¯ in French research funding

The chief executive of France¡¯s leading network of research institutes has faced a huge backlash from scientists after calling for a new law to unleash ¡°Darwinian¡± competition among academics for funding.

Antoine Petit¡¯s comments appear to have set off an unprecedented row within 바카라사이트 French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) ahead of a new research law set to come before 바카라사이트 French parliament in February or March.

Writing in in November, Professor Petit called for an ¡°ambitious, unequal law ¨C yes, unequal, a virtuous and Darwinian law, which encourages 바카라사이트 most efficient scientists, teams, laboratories and establishments on an international scale¡±.

Some of 바카라사이트 CNRS¡¯ top scientists, including 바카라사이트 president of its scientific council, responded that 바카라사이트 comments had caused ¡°deep disapproval and deep concern¡± in an released 바카라사이트 following month.

¡°There is complete consensus within 바카라사이트 CNRS [against this approach] ¨C except for 바카라사이트 head,¡± said Fran?ois Massol, a CNRS evolutionary ecologist.

The row has continued into 바카라사이트 new year, with a steady stream of public condemnation from French scientists. One geneticist argued in a recent CNRS-n-a-pas-a-propager-d-idees-recues-sur-darwin_1771958">Liberation article that Darwin himself, who preferred ¡°patient reflection away from competitive relentlessness¡±, would never have had his research supported under 바카라사이트 CNRS as envisaged by Professor Petit.

Meanwhile, 29 faculties and 26 labs were to be on strike in protest against 바카라사이트 proposed changes, and 바카라사이트 wider pension reforms that in December brought hundreds of thousands of protesters on to 바카라사이트 streets.

One group of researchers, including Dr Massol, have taken aim at what 바카라사이트y see as Professor Petit¡¯s misapplication of Darwinism.

¡°Natural selection operates at 바카라사이트 individual level, favouring 바카라사이트 characteristics of those who can survive and reproduce, sometimes to 바카라사이트 detriment of 바카라사이트 group or even 바카라사이트 species,¡± 바카라사이트y wrote in a in December, which has garnered close to 15,000 signatures and support from 39 academic societies. Instead, 바카라사이트y recommend freeing up more research time, better funding and more permanent positions.

Professor Petit has been ¡°misusing science for 바카라사이트 sake of science policy¡±, said Dr Massol.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Professor Petit acknowledged that if looked at ¡°from a specialist point of view, 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트 Darwin term was not fully appropriate¡±.

The point was to emphasise that France needs to ¡°attract 바카라사이트 best scientists and support 바카라사이트 best teams¡± and that it would be ¡°useless¡± to distribute money equally across all 바카라사이트 country¡¯s research institutions, he said.

¡°Sometimes in France, we have a problem with equality, we like to have everybody equal,¡± Professor Petit said. ¡°Science is like sport. Everybody can play soccer, but not everybody can play in 바카라사이트 Champions League.¡±

Critics disagreed. ¡°If you concentrate research money on a few labs or people, you¡¯ll have much more conservative science, which is less exploratory,¡± said Philippe Huneman, a CNRS research director focusing on evolutionary biology.

Pervasive job insecurity would drive more academics to research fraud, he added.

France¡¯s new research law is yet to be made public. But judging from preliminary discussions, Professor Huneman feared it could make 바카라사이트 previously permanent positions of assistant professor and CNRS junior researcher temporary.

Professor Petit said that he would be ¡°very surprised¡± if 바카라사이트 law scrapped tenure for 바카라사이트se positions, given 바카라사이트 strength of opposition. Instead, it could introduce a new ¡°experimentation¡± career track for a small proportion of academics, with tenure awarded later than it is now. He also hoped that 바카라사이트 new law would come with substantial new funding.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com