Scientists conducted a rally in defense of science in Moscow

A rally of Russian scientists who required amendments to the Federal Law on public procurement and increased financing of the RFFIF and RGNF, took place today, October 13, in Moscow on Pushkinskaya Square. Several hundred people took part in it. Participants prepared dozens of colorful posters in defense of science: “Trust us with the spending of our grants! We won’t steal at home ”,“ Evaluate the quality, not the cheapness of research work ”,“ We ​​envy San Paulo! There is more science ”,“ scientific policy under the control of the scientific community ”,“ megalot is not always a rollback, but almost always - cut ”.

“Let scientists work!”, “Do not squeeze us out of the country!”, The participants chanted. “Serve for the funeral of Russian science,” such a poster hung on the neck of a young man in black glasses and a black shirt. However, the organizers of the rally were more optimistic. So a biologist, senior researcher at the Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Sergei Dmitriev, said that he read the question on the eve of someone, they say, why you arrange a rally on Pushkinskaya Square, and not in Sheremetyevo. “It’s very easy to leave, it is more difficult to remain, but I still want to work in my native country.”

The large share of posters was devoted to the fate of the Russian Fund for fundamental research: “We are for increasing the budget of the Russian Federation!”, “We demand more honesty and transparency in the RFFIF”, “Return the Russian Federation 6% of the costs of science!”, “Grants of the RFFI - yes, the fed fsp - no!”, “RFDIFIA DIRECTIONS”, not science, and not officials from science !!! We demand an increase in the RFFI. ” The rally was attended by representatives of Yabloko and Fair Russia, who joined the slogans gathered in support of science and criticized the scientific policy of United Russia. Their performances were caused by the applause of the audience, but the opinions sounded on the blogs that it was not worth giving the floor to politicians and turning this action into a political event of a pre -election nature.

In the conclusion of the rally, a resolution was adopted, which contained the requirements of scientists for the State Duma and the Government of the Russian Federation. Among them is an urgent amendment to the FZ-94 (on public procurement), which permits the expenditure of funds received by scientists without standard competitive procedures. In addition, scientists require an increase in the budget of the RFFI in 2012 to 10 billion rubles, and RGNF to 1.5 billion rubles and bringing them to financing by 2014 to 6 and 1 percent of the funds allocated for civil science, respectively.

The resolution ended with a warning that "in the event that these requirements are not satisfied, all organizations responsible for conducting a warning action intend to continue and expand protest actions with consolidated forces." It also says that the organizers of the rally are ready to "most widely convey information about ignoring by the authorities of the requirements of scientists to the Russian public." Recall that the rally organization was attended by the RAS union, an initiative group of young scientists, an initiative group of students, graduate students and employees of Moscow State University, the Soviets of young scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Moscow State University, and other organizations. An article by a physicist from the Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Evgeny Onishchenko “Speak Louder”, published on October 12 at Polit.ru, was devoted to the goals and objectives of the rally.