H.E. Ing Jan Fischer, CSc
Amsterdam-Tallinn, 24.07.2009
Dear Prime Minister,
recently, scientists the world over have been alerted by reports that suggest a radical restructuring of the research funding schemes in the Czech Republic would lead to a cut-back on basic research.
The commotion created by the statements of the R&D Council have scientists fear that instead of supporting the laudable aim of accelerating innovation cycles, the reform will slow down the impetus for basic research „made in the Czech Republic“: as an engineer you know that all brand-new market products are, ultimately, borne from basic research.
I am intimately familiar with the Czech scientific environment – its strengths and weaknesses - , having enjoyed close relations with scientists in your country ever since my post-doc year in Prague many years ago (1968). In my past and current capacities as President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and, since 2006, of ALLEA, the European Federation of National Academies, I also have close and collegial contacts with the presidency of AVCR.
It is against this background that I am writing to share with you some reflections on the value of basic research made at European level. For I am convinced that the public debate triggered about the societal value of science is a good starting point for a relaunch of mechanisms to ensure the Czech Republic’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.
European Academies united in ALLEA have expressed their views on the importance of basic research in their “Reflections on the EC Green Paper 2007“ (Statement of 2008) in the following terms:
„Research matters because it is a vital part of the social tapestry of a modern state. Research not only contributes to innovation and to economic development, it is about man, society and the world, about culture and human perception, about inquiry into phenomena; it is a response to societal problems, to natural hazards and to climate change, a way of improving health and education...“.
With its unique combination of specialised research institutes, ASCR can ensure that in this complex reality of contemporary science all fields of research remain potentially connected. This is a highly recommended approach, one followed by research centres elsewhere like the Max-Planck-Society in Germany. The Czech Republic has many reasons to be proud of its scientists and should not abandon to play its part as a reseach intensive society in the EU and OECD. For this mission, the ASCR is a place where talents grow, stay and are attracted from abroad, where excellence is the leading criterion for support, and where research is spearheaded that will tackle future societal needs. Investment in basic research is an investment into the future, and excellent research centres and teams cannot be established overnight: they need careful, long-term nurturing;
However, given scarce resources for new investments, each step towards a restructuring of current systems must be very carefully considered lest any lasting damage be done. R&D indicators that measure past performance are not robust enough as a basis for decision-making, and the effects of the latest restructuring two years ago are barely measurable at all: it might be beneficial, therefore, if a proper international evaluation of the future potential of current research at ASCR was to complement the national R&D audit which we understand has been published for tender recently by the relevant Ministry.
As President of ALLEA I can offer our services in assessing the future potential of ASCR research through a properly calibrated international evaluation - provided there is agreement on the fundamental principle that real added value to the economy and to society grows from long-term commitment to basic research. Elsewhere, such independent scientific assessments have allowed governments and national academies to turn the scrambling for resources to a strategy for recovery. In the Czech case, such an independent exercise could inform wider ranging discussions on the R&D system as a whole and on relevant trajectories to follow in the implementation of the Council’s budget recommendations as regards the Academy.
If the intention of the reform is to strengthen the position of the Czech Republic in European and global innovation cycles it must not overlook the fact that science and technology studies the world over have concluded that in OECD countries such a policy must rely on a long-term investment in strong basic research – such as it is carried out at the ASCR research units.
I do trust, Mr Prime Minister, that in acting for the best of your country, you will ensure that the restructuring of research funding planned by your Government will not affect basic science in the ASCR and universities, will not diminish the number of scientists, and will not adversely affect the ability of the Czech Republic’s research institutions to provide to young researchers the best of science education in their own country.
cc. Prof Jiři Drahoš, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
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