Se non ora, quando

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• Se non ora, quando
• Lisbon
• December 11, 2014
• Challenges for Europe in ST
• Giorgio Sirilligiorgio.sirilli_at_cnr.it

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Outline

• Science, technology and higher education in
  Europe
• Four-speed Europe
• Some countries
• Conclusions

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Return On Academic ReSearch
Editorial board 10 academics 10 million contacts
since November 2011 A record 38,747 contacts on
December 4, 2013 1,878 articles published 27,000
comments received 13,800 registered users
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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
• synergy between research and education
• research for social welfare

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The myth of excellence
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Why evaluation?

• From the carrot to the stick

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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)

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Four-speed Europe
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Four-speed Europe
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Four-speed Europe
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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 States role we are socializing
  only the risks, while privatizing the rewards

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Apple
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Mobile phones

• All basic technologies that make our mobile
  phones smart can be traced back to governmental
  initiative and funding.
• Just a few
• microprocessors
• RAM memory
• hard disk drives
• liquid-crystal displays
• lithium batteries
• the Internet
• cellular technology and networks
• global positioning system (GPS)
• multi-touch screens.

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Reharsing?
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Italy
RD/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
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• 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

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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

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Sciencs en marche
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Spain
Public civil RD 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 RD, emigrate Acute brain
drain
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Germany

• Underfunding
• Lack of permanent positions
• Insecurity and mature scientists may live science
  and the country
• Federal government and landers

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Portugal

• Cuts in Phd and post-doctoral grants
• FCT evaluation and the role of the ESF
• Closing of 50 of research units

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Conclusions

• Woody Allen God is dead, Marx is dead and Im
  not feeling that good myself
• More (and better) Europe
• Need of a new socio-economic paradigm

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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?

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Thank you for your attention