90 million for our scientists

Happy news has spread around the Runet: the government of the Russian Federation will allocate 90 million rubles for grants to scientists!!! The same text is reprinted on many sites with links to each other:

The head of the Ministry of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko said that the Russian authorities plan to allocate up to 90 million rubles in grants over three years to create a "team" of scientists to jointly develop innovations.

According to Fursenko, the relevant government decree has already been prepared and its coordination with the departments is underway.

"We are talking about allocating a large grant for a well-known scientist, and this scientist can be both Russian and foreign, so that he creates a team around himself for three years. The money is allocated not only for salaries, but also for equipment," the minister explained.

At the same time, the government expects that in addition to direct federal funding, there will be support from the relevant university.

And now we turn on the thinking machine. Fellow scientists! Tell me, how many laboratories (for example, in one of life sciences) can be equipped with three million American conventional units from scratch and provide consumables and pay employees for three years? According to my finger–pointing estimates - one, and then very modest.

But thanks to the party and for this good intention... Especially if a well-known Russian scientist does not receive this money Cut the Loot, as it often happens in our fatherland...

A Healthy Skeptic
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.03.2010