Two-thousand two-hundred Russian scientists and young professionals working in research centers from Kaliningrad to Magadan and abroad have sent an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev.
The teachers and researchers, among whom are two out of the four winners of the Presidential Award for Young Scientists, are criticizing government policies in science and technology and suggesting how to bridge the gap between Russia and advanced countries.
Significantly, the vast majority of the signatories represent the exact and natural sciences, indicating that those involved with the humanities are mostly satisfied with current funding and organization.
There is plenty to criticize with the government’s science policy. Until the mid-2000s, Russia was spending no more than 1.8 percent of gross domestic product on science, while the United States and France were spending about 2.5 percent, Japan about 3 percent and India 3.5 percent.
According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia's share in world expenditure on research is 2.2 percent, whereas the United States contributes 35 percent, the EU 24 percent, Japan 13 percent and China 11 percent. The surge of spy mania only may only add to this woeful picture, because it could make scientific contacts more complicated.
Scientists understand that budgetary infusions alone will not work if the way science is organized is outdated. Some are worried about the imperfection of laws and the system for allocating state support.
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