Scientific bitter experience

Russian scientists sent an open letter to President Vladimir Putin, which complained about the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the work of the Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations (Fano) created as part of the reform. The document, which was signed by 397 academicians, corresponding members, professors and doctors of science, published "Kommersant".

According to the authors of the letter, the style and methods of the work of Fano "interfere with scientific activity." They try to apply the rules of ordinary budgetary institutions to scientific organizations, "completely not taking into account the creative and search nature of the work of researchers."

“Scientists must“ plan ”how many discoveries they will make, how many and in which magazines they will publish articles in the next few years. In principle, such planning is impossible, and the relevant requirements only lead to business and deception. The same applies to a ridiculous calculation of norms for the release of scientific products, which comes down to feverish fit for the necessary indicators,” the letter says.

"If urgent measures to correct the described tragic situation are taken, then in March 2018 the elected president of Russia will accept the country with ahead with ahead, dying fundamental science, which is not able to meet the challenges of the modern world," the authors of the appeal emphasize.

Scientists are asking Putin to show "political will" and change the legal status of RAS. We are talking about the return of the Academy of Scientific Institutes, which are currently obeying the Fano.

In Fano they did not comment on the letter of scientists. President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeyev told the publication that his colleagues "are free to express his opinion, this is completely normal." “I, like the authors of the letter, believe that the issue of changing the status of the Russian Academy of Sciences is ruptered.” Sergeev said . “We cannot and do not want to be a ministry or other federal executive body - there is a tough vertical, the appointment of a leadership and so on. We need to remain a self -governing organization based on the election, but with the right legislative initiative in the country there is simply no suitable legal form.”

On September 18, 2013, the State Duma adopted a law on the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During the meeting, the protest of scientists took place at its walls, which gathered more than a thousand people (

Photo ). After voting in the Duma, one of the most famous Russian scientists, academician Vladimir Zakharov, turned to Putin with an open letter, in which he called for a veto on the law. However, on September 27 of the same year, Putin signed the Law on RAS Reform . At the same time, a decree was signed on the creation of Fano. The law entered into force from the moment of publication.

The day before the signing of the law, representatives of the RA RAS trade union transferred to the presidential reception in Moscow more than 120 thousand signatures in support of the appeal with a request to stop the reform of the State University.

In the future, scientists continued to criticize the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In July 2016, more than 200 large scientists in Russia wrote an open letter to the president about a critical situation in Russian science and the need to take urgent measures from the country's top leadership. However, the response to this appeal was not received.