{"id":2503,"date":"2019-05-03T13:51:59","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T13:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/researchers-in-argentina-protest-budget-cuts-say-science-is-in-mourning\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T08:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T08:05:11","slug":"researchers-in-argentina-protest-budget-cuts-say-science-is-in-mourning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/researchers-in-argentina-protest-budget-cuts-say-science-is-in-mourning","title":{"rendered":"Researchers in Argentina protest budget cuts, say “science is in mourning”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of researchers in Argentina joined a nationwide strike last week to protest the austerity measures announced by the government. The scientific community\u2019s participation was triggered by the lack of job opportunities for trained young researchers who want the government to notice their plight. The community has been actively protesting the lack of federal support extended toward science. Early last month, several researchers and university students condemned the situation publicly using the slogan \u201cScience is in mourning<\/a>.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Since 2015, Argentina is undergoing an economic crisis that has severely affected the scientific endeavors in the country. The National Scientific and Technical Research Council<\/a> (CONICET), which employs over 20,000 researchers across Argentina, is in a lurch due to budget cuts. As a result, this year, it could offer only 450 new positions to first-time investigators, forcing unemployment on 2600 PhD graduates and postdocs. Moreover, the salaries of those who secured permanent positions have been slashed by 50% owing to the inflation the country is facing. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The dearth of opportunities is forcing Argentinian researchers to seek positions abroad. Several members of the scientific community are concerned about the brain drain and the long-term repercussions it could have on the research landscape of the country. \u201cWe have to stop the brain drain and keep the system alive<\/a>,\u201d said Alberto Kornblihtt, head of CONICET\u2019s Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology, and Neurosciences. The depreciation of Argentina\u2019s currency and the growing inflation has led the government to slash the budget for science and research. Last year, the R&D investment was 0.26%, which has \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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