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Se non ora, quando
Lisbon
December 11, 2014
Challenges for Europe in S&T
Giorgio Sirilli
[email protected]
Outline
Science, technology and higher education in Europe
Four-speed Europe
Some countries
Conclusions
Return On Academic ReSearch
Editorial board: 10 academics
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Manifesto “They have chosen ignorance”
In Europe:
budget cuts
research does not follow political cycles
public attract private investment
brain drain
applied research
excellence and the tip of the iceberg
The myth of excellence
Manifesto “They have chosen ignorance”
In Europe:
budget cuts
research does not follow political cycles
public attract private investment
brain drain
applied research
excellence and the tip of the iceberg
synergy between research and education
research for social welfare
Robert Merton




Communalism – the common ownership of scientific
discoveries, according to which scientists give up
intellectual property in exchange for recognition and
esteem.
Universalism – according to which claims to truth are
evaluated in terms of universal or impersonal criteria,
and not on the basis of race, class, gender, religion, or
nationality;
Disinterestedness – according to which scientists are
rewarded for acting in ways that outwardly appear to be
selfless;
Organized skepticism – all ideas must be tested and
are subject to rigorous, structured community scrutiny
Political options and ideologies do matter
Why evaluation?
From the carrot to the stick
Four European areas
Teutonic (Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland,
Norway, Iceland, Austria, Switzerland)
Anglo-French (France, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland)
Mediterranean (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta, Cyprus)
Oriental (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ceck Rep.,
Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia)
Four-speed Europe
Area
Teutonic
Anglo-French
Mediterranean
Oriental
Population
(million)
GDP per
capita
(1,000 $ ppp)
140
147
129
104
42
36
29
16
Four-speed Europe
Higher education expenditure
R&D expenditure
Area
(billion $ ppp)
% of GDP
$ ppp per
inhabitant
Teutonic
89
1.5
635
162
2.8
Anglo-French
72
1.3
489
106
2.0
Mediterranean
44
1.0
340
47
1.2
Oriental
21
1.0
202
15
0.9
(million $ ppp)
% of GDP
Four-speed Europe
Area
Journal articles
EPO patents
(thous)
per million
inhabitants
(thous)
per million
inhabitants
Teutonic
335
2530
35
254
Anglo-French
316
2146
15
105
Mediterranean
212
1635
6
47
Oriental
104
998
1
11
The entrepreneurial State
The book comprehensively debunks the myth of a
lumbering, bureaucratic state versus a dynamic,
innovative private sector.
The opposite is true: the private sector only finds the
courage to invest after an entrepreneurial state has
made the high-risk investments - from the green
revolution to biotech and from pharmaceuticals to
Silicon Valley.
Not admitting the State’s role we are socializing only the
risks, while privatizing the rewards
Apple
Mobile phones
All basic technologies that make our mobile phones
“smart” can be traced back to governmental initiative
and funding.
Mobile phones









microprocessors;
RAM memory;
hard disk drives;
liquid-crystal displays;
lithium batteries;
the Internet;
cellular technology and networks;
global positioning system (GPS);
multi-touch screens.
Reharsing?
Italy
R&D/GDP = 1.25%
Budget of universities: -19% since 2008
The scientific system is productive: but until when?
ERC conditional grants: more than half chose
abroad (Germany: 30%; UK: 10%)
Turnover: virtually non existent
Evaluation of ANVUR
Established in 2011
 A government agency
 ANVUR activities:
◦ Evaluation of the Quality of Research (EQR)
◦ Habilitation of university professors and researchers
◦ Accreditation of university courses and organisations

Policy makers
“Why shoud we pay the
researchers if we make the
best shoes in the world?”
Silvio Berlusconi
“Culture does not provide food”
(Con la cultura non si mangia)
Giulio Tremonti
France
Researchers in strain emigrate or quit science
More public money to industry and less to public research
For getting the same amount of money researchers devote
much more time to red tape
Individualism
Young researchers without permanent position
Sciencs en marche
Spain
Public civil R%D dropped by 42% since 2009
Delay in transfer of money
Programs with short-term market impact
Hiring opportunities almost disappeared (turnover 10%)
Young graduates’ options: low quality employment,
short term contracts, abandon R&D, emigrate
Acute brain drain
Germany
Underfunding
Lack of permanent positions
Insecurity and mature scientists may live science and the
country
Federal government and landers
Portugal
Cuts in Phd and post-doctoral grants
FCT evaluation and the role of the ESF
Closing of 50% of research units
Conclusions
“God is dead, Marx is dead and I’m not feeling that
good myself”
Conclusions
More (and better) Europe
Need of a new socio-economic paradigm
What to do?
L’inno d’Italia
Uniamoci a coorte,
siam pronti alla morte,
l’Italia chiamò
Primo Levi
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I
am for myself, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?“
Thank you for
your attention