Sickle on science

"It's hard to talk about achievements,
when the axe is raised over science"

Margarita Artemenko, AkademgorodokMuch has already been said about the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but it seems that this topic will never, at least in the near future, lose its relevance.

Academician Igor Fedorovich Zhimulev, Director of the IMKB SB RAS, told about the inevitably impending changes in his speech at the closing of the second Scientific School of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Having highlighted some achievements and problems in the field of molecular sciences, Igor Fedorovich reported on the latest news concerning the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

– It seems to me that it is very difficult to talk about the achievements of biology when a huge axe or shovel is brought over the whole science, with which they want to bury us. As everyone present remembers, a year ago there was an attempt to disperse the Academy of Sciences completely, even a law of the same name was being prepared. Then they made a milder wording, declared a moratorium. But what finally happened in a year? We were promised several things: science will be reorganized, effective managers will come to lead science, and the staff of the institutes will not feel any troubles or changes.

V.V. Putin's thesis that we will not notice the transition to FANO is, of course, incorrect. I asked them to calculate how many papers have come from the FANO in my name since the beginning of the year. Papers of various sizes and nature, such as making lists, etc.

So, 210 letters have been received from FANO to I.F. Zhimulev only since February. Imagine if I read them. There are 220 working days in a year, with another quarter before the end of the year. Maybe the institute staff wouldn't have noticed, but I certainly wouldn't have been able to do anything except answer letters.

There was also a letter from Comrade A.A. Fursenko, the one who invented the Unified State Exam. Now he turned to Vladimir Putin with a request of the following nature. A.A. Fursenko says that our science is no good, it needs to be changed urgently, applied work is needed: a thermonuclear reactor, an X–ray laser - everything concerns applied topics, there is no fundamental science here. And the president agreed. The letter is quite "fresh", signed on July 8.

We received a letter from FANO on August 14. In order to work better, all institutions will be reformatted. They proposed to organize 4 different categories of institutes. An idea immediately appeared in one of our institutes, the author of which I will not name. The person responded to the decision of the FANO, in Moscow they immediately intercepted it, sent it to everyone. So, it is written: "The organizational structure most acceptable for the institute should be a consortium of research institutes belonging to the FANO." The consortium will be called "Genetic Technologies". Within the framework of the FANO, a parent organization is appointed, which is responsible for scientific planning. In our institute – I think no one will object – each laboratory performs its work independently. This is our policy. And now there will be scientific planning, for which someone else is responsible.

The changes also relate to personnel and property policy and the formation of criteria for the distribution of the general budget. I can't even comment on that. We are fighting for grants, we receive them, and then all the money will be distributed, and they will not ask us how they will be distributed.

The following: we now have a law in the Duma that must be adopted before the new year. The main task of this law is to remove the leadership of almost all institutions. It is written: "The age limit for filling the positions of heads and deputy heads of state and municipal scientific organizations is not older than 65 years, regardless of the time of conclusion of employment contracts. With their written consent, they can move to other positions corresponding to their qualifications." That is, we are not kicked out at all, we can work, it does not matter by whom. What rates are available at the institute, such will be offered.

I would like to comment on this point. If you want to do something, you always have to find the right people. Of course, age must be taken into account. But first of all, talent, knowledge in this field, the ability to lead, communicate are taken into account. I'll give you an example. I respect Yefim Pavlovich Slavsky immensely. Much has been done in Russia thanks to him. Yefim Pavlovich worked as the Minister of Medium engineering, and it was he who made the entire nuclear missile shield of our country. The same ministry was building the Akademgorodok, by the way. So, Yefim Pavlovich became a minister at the age of 58 and stayed there for another 30. And no one can say that he took the wrong place.

We are trying to change something, but so far without success. We all have to react in some way, but our people absolutely do not care about science. They dispersed the academy, and what? Nothing moved anywhere.

10 years ago I was in Switzerland when the issue of banning molecular biology was brought up for a parliamentary decision. Naturally, I did not miss the opportunity to walk around Zurich with the demonstrators. My colleagues and I walked in the crowd, and when we got to the place of the rally, I saw long columns of people. There were a lot of speakers for 30 minutes, and they were not just molecular biologists. The people came forward and expressed their opinion. And we don't have anything like that, so they can do anything with science. The only hope, it seems to me, is the following: now we need to raise the Crimea, and we will have to invest crazy money. Maybe our bosses just don't have enough money to bring down science at the same time.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru17.09.2014