Independent research or wishful thinking?

Researchers and radical working astatine the country’s universities clasp a protestation rally successful beforehand of Athens University’s historical headquarters, demanding much backing and support, connected May 29, 2025. [AMNA]

Let’s accidental the authorities decides to bargain caller buses for nationalist transport and hires drivers. However, it postpones the acquisition of fuel. Thus, the buses rust successful the depot and the drivers are paid without being capable to execute the work for which they were hired. This analogy could beryllium used to picture the state of technological probe successful Greece.

In caller years, caller researcher positions person been approved astatine Greek universities and probe institutes to capable the gaps pursuing Greece’s decennary of indebtedness crisis. Research institutions successful the European Union and the United States supply recently hired researchers with startup backing of astatine slightest €500,000-1,000,000 to acceptable up the team and the probe programme so that they tin then assertion competitory nationalist and planetary funding.

In Greece, startup backing is usually zero and nationalist backing trickles in. Annual nationalist and backstage spending connected probe and improvement (1.5%) is not lone 50% little than the European mean (Eurostat 2024), but it besides includes each kinds of expenditure connected knowledge, technological advancement and innovation. Only a small stock goes to probe institutions, and this is spent astir exclusively connected salaries for full-time researchers and infrastructure maintenance. Very small wealth is near to institutions to support research. Furthermore, scarce nationalist probe funding, constricted clip for submitting proposals, and delays successful evaluation, which are often criticized arsenic lacking meritocracy, slow down productivity. Consequently, Greek researchers’ bids for EU backing are not competitive.

The improvement of technological probe is simply a substance of nationalist value and requires coordination beyond the responsibilities of a single ministry. From announcements to the valuation and supervision of programs, we request a unified mechanics coordinated by a nationalist authorization similar the autarkic Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection (ASEP, the assemblage that organizes a competitory civilian work exam) that will person stable backing and will beryllium unaffected by delays caused by governmental factors. 

In this context, 257 Greek scientists precocious projected to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos the transformation of the Hellenic Foundation for Research & Innovation (ELIDEK) into an autarkic authority, which will run under the supervision of Parliament – similar each autarkic authorities – alternatively of a ministry. Its medication and backing will beryllium defined each 5 years with the support of an accrued majority, and it will beryllium accountable to Parliament and the judiciary.

The determination arsenic to whether Greece’s system will proceed to use imported technological cognition from different countries to make applications, oregon whether portion of the economy’s caller surpluses will beryllium invested successful technological probe to make exportable innovation is simply a nationalist work and requires cross-party consensus. 

Regardless of the direction, a single, meritocratic and budget-stable autarkic authorization will assistance with semipermanent coordination and let researchers to marque realistic plans alternatively than feeling that due probe is wishful thinking.

Konstantinos Drosatos is simply a pharmacology prof astatine the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, president of the ARISTEiA-Institute, and wide caput of the Komvos (Node) – Networks of Global Hellenism.