The decrease in funding is a threat to the very existence of the science sector, says the Chairman of the trade Union of the RAS, candidate of physical and mathematical Sciences, Viktor Kalinushkin. As stated by the Union leader correspondent “of Rosbalt”, the Union for most items supports scientists that have signed the resonance open letter to the President of the Russian Federation.
“The issue of funding, in our opinion, is in the first place. The situation is rapidly becoming critical. The decrease in funding, even in rubles adjusted for inflation automatically leads to the collapse of institutions and a terrible blow to science,” – said Viktor Kalinushkin.
According to the Union leader, from the Russian Academy of Sciences require the implementation of the presidential decree about increase of salaries, but the decree of the President about increase of financing of RAS is not implemented. In his opinion, the situation is aggravated by reason of FANO and the emergence of a “two-headed” system of governance.
“Does not exist at all, or very little, you can find examples to “two-headed” system worked effectively. And in a situation when you have not defined the powers of both heads, things get complicated even more,” said Viktor Kalinushkin.
Recall that more than a hundred people — academicians, corresponding members of RAS and professors signed an open letter to the President Vladimir Putin, in which he opposed the Federal Agency of scientific organizations (FANO), which is responsible for property issues of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).
According to authors of the Russian fundamental science is experiencing a crisis from the beginning of 1990-ies “is not only due to the disastrous financial situation”, but due to the fact that for the past many years has been under unprecedented pressure from the state structures having new and new “reform” which has resulted in its gradual degradation.”
