Member of the Federation Council: “Financing of science has fallen to the level of the Congo and Afghanistan” – Moskovsky Komsomolets

The draft law on the federal budget for 2016 on the “civilian” science allocated only 0.3 percent of GDP

Yesterday, at 19:44, Views: 975

The question of the own who were penny allocated for science in 2016 raised at the plenary session of the Federation Council on Wednesday, Senator Arnold Tulokhonov Buryatia. Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, director of the Baikal Institute of Nature Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of the Academic Council of the Russian Geographical Society took the floor after the speech of the Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Livanov Russia.

Photo: Gennady Cherkasov

The senator criticized the minister for what he did not say anything about the policy of the Ministry for the development of fundamental science and the results of the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) two years ago.

«As is known, the authors of the reform of Russian Academy of Sciences as the main complaints about the bureaucracy supposedly claimed prevailing in the Academy of Sciences, the aging of the members of the academy, the low level of research – Tulokhonov Arnold said. – Since the reforms of the past two years and, in my opinion, we can talk about the first results of a new law on the RAS ».

Instead of” the silent “the results of the reform Livnova Tulokhonov he immediately led them:” Not less than fivefold increase in paperwork. If previously required scientific reports only for the year, but now they are required in addition to the quarterly economic activity. They contain nearly 50 indicators, down to light bulbs and water meters, “- said the senator. In addition, according to him, the main result of the reforms was the complete destruction of academic science.

«In RAS there are no institutions, Fano is only responsible for the property, grants – in the Russian Science Foundation, Ministry of Education and Science is engaged in university science. Paradoxically, today’s Russia is not the agency responsible for the development of basic research and defense science. As it turned out, the budget for 2016 is practically no funding for scientific field! “- Summed up the reform of the doctor of geological sciences.

« MK “contacted Arnold Kirillovich on the phone.

– What do you mean by saying that about science in a project almost nothing is said?

– All expenditure: health care, physical culture, sports, cinema, utilities are with a breakdown, indicating the percentage of spending to GDP. Science, however, is the last in the list, at number 48, after housing, without interest. Apparently, the authors calculated that 0.3 percent (that I actually was estimated on the basis of the amount allocated to us) is not worth to talk about them seriously. And this despite the fact that Vladimir Putin spoke of the need to increase funding for science to 1.77 percent.

– So what amount ultimately allocated for 2016?

-308 billion rubles. This is 52 billion less than was allocated for science in 2015. It turns out that, compared with 2012 funding dropped all three times. And I asked, “How do you want to modernize the country and out of the crisis without science ?!”. In response, Mr. Siluanov (Finance Minister – Ed.) Said that the worldwide funded science business. I replied that there are no businessman who invested the money in basic science. How, for example, it makes western company “General Motors”, which can not exist without science. But there think about the development of the country, and our entrepreneurs just how to steal money offshore … it interesting result that fundamental research can be given only after 10 years?

– If you compare with other countries, how much money is allocated for science out there?

– The developed countries spend on the development of fundamental science in an average of 4 percent of GDP. But … we do not even know which country to compare. Perhaps with Congo Brazzaville and Afghanistan …

The Senate applauded Tulohonovu. But what of those confused applause. “If you invest in the country less than 1 percent of GDP in science, it is possible to close all”, – he said goodbye flies to Buryatia scientist. The great citizen of the world Frederic Joliot-Curie said: “The country that does not develop science, inevitably turns into a colony».