Molecular Biology is mortally wounded
SOS academics
119 leading biologists of Russia addressed the country's leadershipRossiyskaya Gazeta, Federal Issue dated 21.04.2010
119 scientists addressed the President of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister with a letter about the alarming situation in the domestic molecular biology. Among the authors of the letter are most of the leading, internationally recognized Russian scientists: 21 academicians, 19 corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 56 Doctors of Sciences and 13 candidates of Sciences. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Georgy Georgiev tells about the essence of the appeal "RG".
The point is that due to the reduction of funding for the Academy this year, the program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Molecular and Cellular Biology" (ICD) may, in fact, die. It is necessary to emphasize its special importance for Russia. It is this scientific direction that should provide a breakthrough in medicine, which is declared by the country's leadership as one of the main development priorities. By the way, in the leading countries, about 50 percent of the funds allocated for all science are spent on biomedicine today.
The scientific program of the ICD operated for seven years. In addition to purely scientific tasks, it made it possible to solve the problems of the organization of science, which the country's leadership has repeatedly pointed out. First of all, we are talking about the requirement not to "smear" money on many collectives, but to support the strong. The ICD program allocates large grants to the most powerful laboratories and research groups, which gives them the opportunity to work at a global level.
The ICD program solved another important task – the rapid scientific growth of talented young scientists. For this purpose, a contest "New groups" was announced. Having won the grant, they got a chance to create and lead an independent team to implement their own ideas. Thus, the future of our science is being shaped. Young Russians who work effectively abroad also participate in the competition. That is, we can talk about the return of successful scientists-compatriots.
The results obtained under the ICD program correspond to the world level, and some are ahead of it.
But all this work was under threat. Due to constant inflation, the ICD program needed to double the amount of grants this year. Instead, its funding has been cut by almost a third: from 260 to 185 million rubles in the Central Region. That is, the research of many teams will simply have to be curtailed. It turns out that we are destroying the best that we have in the field of biomedicine and biotechnology. Scientists are losing confidence in the future and are starting to look to the West, especially given the growing support for science there. As a result, we may be covered by a new wave of personnel losses and a repetition of the situation destructive for Russian science in the 90s. The entire seven-year effort to restore world-class molecular and cellular biology in the country is in danger of collapse.
Scientists see two possible ways out of this situation. The simplest one is to increase the financing of the ICD program to 400-500 million rubles a year since 2010. There is another more radical solution – the creation of a state Russian scientific center (or foundation) of biomedicine on the model of the famous American Medical Institute Howard Hughes. Such a center, without subordinating institutes to itself, would unite and finance the best laboratories of our biomedicine, regardless of departmental affiliation. The amount of funds distributed by such a center may amount to 3-4 billion rubles per year. The implementation of any of the options is vital for the ICD.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru21.04.2010