A letter of scientists was sent to the president

The collection of signatures under a letter to the President of the Russian Federation, which refers to the unreasonableness of state policy in the field of science, about the need to maintain leading scientific funds-the RFF and the RGNF-and a significant increase in their financing, as well as the incomprehensibility of the legislation regulating the state purchases, to the realities of the scientific and educational sphere (see the TRV-54 of May 25, 2010).

This letter was the most massive appeal of scientists to the President of the Russian Federation among all, the signatures under which they gathered on the Internet. The appeal was signed by 2233 people, including 1011 doctors of sciences, 59 members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, laureates of prestigious international awards, state awards of the USSR and the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation in the field of science and innovation for young scientists for 2008 and 2009.

Among the signed are ordinary researchers and world -famous scientists. The lack of a reasonable scientific policy, the problems of scientific funds, the Procrustean bed of the law on public procurement - these problems excite the scientific community of the whole country. This is evidenced by the fact that Muscovites among the signed are only 36%. 10-12% are in St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, near Moscow, and approximately a third of the signatures are the installation of Russia: Murmansk and Kaliningrad, Nalchik and Makhachkala, Tomsk and Kyzyl, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Magadan. The most actively letter was signed by physicists, astronomers and mathematicians (more than a quarter of all signatures), a little less actively - biologists (about 20%).

On July 8, 2010, the letter was submitted to the presidential reception, later its copies were sent to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Finance, the Federation Council and the Department of Science, High Technologies and Education of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The letter attracted the attention of the media. In addition to the popular network publications, “New Gazeta”, “Kommersant”, “Vedomosti” wrote about it, the letter was devoted to the press conference in RIA Novosti and the program “Big Watch” at the Echo of Moscow radio station [1-5]. What will happen next?

The official response should come within a month, but we could already observe a kind of “rehearsal of the answer”. When publishing, the notes on the letter “survive the strongest” “New Gazeta” sent issues to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Planauk, asking his opinion on the open letter of scientists to the president, the effectiveness of the scientific funds of the RFFIF and RGNF, as well as on the validity of reducing their budget financing and about the steps taken by the Ministry to support the fundamental science. The ministry sent the newspaper a response signed by Deputy Minister Sergei Mazurenko [6].

In the best traditions of the venerable bureaucratic genre - “unsubscribing the ordinary” Deputy Minister told the public that “thanks to the form of its activities (on the one hand, independence and self -government, on the other hand, the assignment of heads of funds by the government) are an effective tool for the implementation of state policy in the field of science” and informed it about the great work underway, which is carried out by the Foundation: “RFPRI performed a large amount of work on organizations, financing and support of projects of 2006-2008 (more than 17 thousand projects in total); An examination of applications for the main competition of 2009 (a total of 12.5 thousand projects) was carried out. ”

However, in his letter there is also a truly interesting place-where he talks about changes in funding funds in a crisis. It says that “only in 2009, the RFFI to support organizations carrying out fundamental scientific research, the federal budget provided for the allocation of 7121.5 million rubles, and the RGNF - 1164.7 million rubles”. S. Mazurenko just below reports that when forming a state budget for 2010 and 2011-2012. The proposal of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science on maintaining the volume of budgetary allocations at the level of 2009 for the RGNF, the Fund for the Development of Small Forms of Enterprises in the Scientific and Technical Sphere (i.e. Bortnik Foundation), and the RFF-in the amount of 4.3 billion rubles was supported. and additional allocation of allocations to finance these funds in the amount of 3 billion rubles.

Then the deputy. The Minister writes that at present the Russian Ministry of Education and Science is preparing proposals for allocating the volumes of the appropriation of the federal budget in various areas of financing, including to ensure financing the Russian Federation for 2011 and 2012-2013, so that the volumes of allocations are “at a level of at least 2009 level”. And the resume: “Thus, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science made proposals to maintain the level of financing of scientific funds and allocate additional financial resources as part of the state budget capabilities.”

We will follow the numbers, not paying attention to extra words. Initially, the financing of the RFFF and the RGNF in 2009 is referred to in the amount of 8.3 billion rubles. Then it is said about the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Science on the preservation of the volume of budget allocations at the level of 2009 in the amount of 4.3 billion rubles. and about the additional allocation of 3 billion rubles. (i.e., in the amount of 7.3 billion rubles, which is 1 billion rubles less and already for three, not two funds). Probably, demonstrations of the gratitude of scientists to the senior scientist for increasing the norm of issuing chocolate to 20 grams (from 30 grams) are expected here.

Either there are problems with logic, or already with arithmetic - a riddle. But the level of state thinking deputy. This paper shows the minister well. As well as what kind of reaction to the letter is quite expected. However, there is some probability that the noise around the letter and the problems raised in it will lead to one of the high leaders to react differently. And therefore it is not too late to express your opinion in one form or another - a drop is sharpening a stone.

Evgeny Onishchenko

1. Www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2010/064/09.html

2. Www.kommersant.ru/doc-y.aspx?docsld=1419599

3. Www.Vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article/2010/07/15/240625

4. Video recording of the press conference on July 14, 2010 See www.rian.ru/press_video/20100714/ 254680836.html

5. Http://echo.msk.ru/programs/dozor/695576-echo/

6. Www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2010/071/20.html

7. The text of the letter, applications and the list of signed scientists

www. scientific.ru/doska/rffi2010.html