Several years ago, the program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Molecular and Cellular Biology” has undergone significant reduction. This happened against the backdrop of the economic crisis. The ICB program was the only academic program in which the distribution of funds took place as a result of an open examination. The main criterion for financing was considered publications in high -rating international magazines. Despite this (or precisely because of this), the academic authorities reduced this program stronger than others, guided by a long-standing Procrustean principle "so as not to lean out." In addition to the actual reduction in financing, there was also a significant delay in payments on already approved grants: the money in the laboratory was not transferred, and, accordingly, there were neither salaries nor the opportunity to purchase reagents and equipment for experiments. The situation is described in detail in the article [1] .

However, in those days, “foreign agents” were operated with impunity in the country, and one of the most dangerous of them - the Dynasty Foundation - quickly resolved the issue of issuing personal scholarships to young candidates of sciences from 50 laboratories - recipients (or rather, non -staff) of the ICB grants. The scholarships were paid during the year and allowed young scientists to continue work on their scientific topics and stay in the country. Many of them, according to the apt expression of V.V. Putin, were “hooked on a grant needle” and later received grants from both the Dynasty Foundation and from more “trustworthy” sources, such as RFFF, and continue to work in Russia.

But other times have come. “Foreign Agents” are identified, brought to clean water and turned their activities. The Russian Academy was reformed, and the newly created Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (Fano) ensures effective management of means for conducting scientific research at the Academy and the implementation of presidential decrees to increase the publication activity of Russian scientists.

Thus, even weeks without electronic messages from Alexander Vadimovich Training from the department of coordination of the activities of institutions in the field of natural sciences of coordination and ensuring the activities of organizations in the field of science of the Russian Federation, in which he fatherly is interested in our successes, asks to fill out various tables about our work, results and publications.

Meanwhile, the programs of the Presidium of the Academy so far exist ... The ICB program continues to live, although in a very cut -out form. Annual grants, which in the old days were 5 million rubles. per year, dried up to a little more than 2 million in 2014. It ends in July 2015, and there is still no money for approved long -term projects under the programs of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. There were no such monstrous delays even during the time of ineffective academic managers ...

They say that the funds were stuck somewhere between effective managers of Fano and the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They say that the size of the grants will be reduced even more. But this is all at the level of rumors, there is no official information. President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fortov, a well -known optimist, said in a private conversation that money may be by December 2015.

Naturally, in the absence of money, scientific research is extremely difficult and even impossible. I emphasize that we are talking about already approved studies for which you need to report. My colleagues have to pay for the reagents necessary for research, from their own pockets and even ask leading magazines to allow not to pay for the publication of already accepted articles (and not all magazines can go for it, in this case, the author will have to pay several thousand US dollars from their own funds or refuse to publish the articles already adopted).

Meanwhile, Alexander Tramnov from Fano continues to send his messages to scientists. He wants to answer with a quote from the classic: “ Dusya! You embittered me. We are people exhausted by your management. First money, and then the results . ”

And last week in the village of Dvoriki, V.V. Putin said [2] : “Those (experts) who are returning (to Russia) are welcome ... We are happy to see them, but only because the person has returned (in the Russian Federation), he cannot claim some additional mats and privileges. In general, we will, of course, strive to ensure that high -class experts return to our home, to our homeland, we will dispose of this. ”

I think that now Vladimir Vladimirovich can be calm: after the “foreign agents” dispersed, our own agents will do everything possible so that no one will come to us for any rugs here.

The article was first published on Polit.ru. Its author is a professor at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Professor of the University of Ratgers (USA), Head. Laboratory of molecular, environmental and applied microbiology at the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, SCOPUS Award 2015 winner.

1. Www.polit.ru/article/2008/01/31/mcb

2. Http://tass.ru/obschestvo/2119840

Comment

Alla Kalmykova , doct. Biol. sciences, head. The Laboratory of the study of genomic repetitions of the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented on the TRV-NAKE Situation with the financing of the ICB program:

Perhaps readers who are far from science will think that grants are some additional money beyond what goes to science from the state budget. In order for no illusions, I want to note that financing on grants is the only way to ensure scientific experiments, since the basic state budget financing provides only a very low salary to employees (it is a shame to say which ones) and covers part of the utility services of the institute.

Everything else, that is, equipment, reagents, office equipment, laboratory repair, etc., as well as salary to scientists and graduate students, is paid from grants. The rules of grant game around the world suggest that there is a competition, its conditions, the size of the grant, its duration are announced. The scientist who won the grant receives financial resources from the beginning of the first year for 3-5 years (the usual duration of grants) to hire people and carry out the project declared and approved by experts.

It would seem that a very simple system, but in the Russian version, the possession of a grant does not mean nothing above. The size of the grant is unknown at the time of its spelling; In the case of receipt, it is not known when the money is transferred to the institutes; “How much will they give” for the next year and whether they will give is unknown. Over the years, we even got used to this system with many unknowns, suffered “black spring” (a period when there were no granted money), because we knew that in April-May, the receipts of funds would begin. It was possible to plan work at the very least.

This year, grant holders for academic programs “Molecular and cellular biology”, “Living nature” and others were faced with a new turn of events. The grant amount was cut at the level of rumors since the beginning of the year several times, the money has not arrived (in the yard the end of July), stubbornly talk about the closure of the programs of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. But no official information was received.

At my request about this, the curator of the fan of our institute, where I headed the laboratory, A. V. Tremnov, as well as to the question to the head of Fano M. M. Kotyukov on the official website of the FANO Feedback, I did not receive answers. No comments.

All the rules of the grant system are broken. If it is decided to close the program, then this is usually done at the end of current grants, a new competition is simply not announced. The “delay” of financing can no longer be called. I said bitterly many times in my head, which we did not, but could do this year. This is, I note without false modesty, about the very scientific research at the highest international level, about which the Bolsheviks "had dreamed for so long."

Instead, I buy some reagents, pay for business trips and publications in scientific publications at my personal account. My laboratory has become for me a sort of unprofitable candle factory. It looks like a kich or a bad dream. At least, my foreign colleagues simply do not understand when I talk about it, how is it possible, and ask for several times: "You are not joking?" The destruction of the national scientific potential, if a joke, is very angry.