Recently in the capital of Ukraine held a lot of rallies and protests. For days, the Ukrainians show running on the roof Miho and never tire PR FEMEN activist who staged a scandalous Parliament of the naked performance.
However, the Ukrainian media said virtually nothing about the protest of the scientists, which took place in Kiev in the end of 2017 — when employees of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine came under the walls of Parliament, demanding from deputies to increase funding for the national science.
As you know, by law the state is obliged to Fund science at the level not less than 1.7% of GDP. However, after independence the government has cut budget support to scientists wanting to “save” to science.
To do this, found a simple solution — in the preamble of the Law “On scientific and scientific-technical activities” made an addition that funding will be made, “based on the available financial resources.”
That was funded by the national science in recent years, less than 0.2% of the GDP at that time, as the government constantly pumping money into the army.
Of course, it is too little. If you compare government spending on science in Ukraine with other countries, it turns out that the cost of one Ukrainian scientist in General 18 times lower than in Brazil, 34% lower than in South Korea, 70 times lower than in the United States, and three times lower than in Russia (in fact, the volume of budget spending on research investments Russia occupies the tenth position in the world ranking, — approx. PB).
The cost of Ukraine are the lowest not only among European, but also among African countries that have just started their scientific-technological development and never had the scientific potential, which went to the country inherited from Soviet science.
For comparison, the annual cost per scholar in the world on average amount to 190 to 400 dollars, in the EU this amounts to 163 400 dollars in Africa — 106 100 dollars, while in Ukraine they are all below — $ 9,300 per year.
The results of such low funding of Ukrainian science was more than deplorable. In the years following the Euromaidan was fired every fifth employee of the Academy of Sciences, most of the remaining work on 0,5–0,7 bets, getting meager wages.
Young scientific personnel are increasingly moving abroad or moving into other fields of activity.
What we can say, if today the salary of a PhD less than the average salary in the city of Kiev, and the salary of a research worker, candidate of Sciences, as a rule, does not exceed 5 thousand UAH. As a result of such irresponsible policies apart decades created the scientific school, and the influx of new people actually stopped.
It is no exaggeration to state that our science is on the verge of destruction.
The main demand of the protest of the Ukrainian scientists: to increase in 2018, the funding of science on 270,97 million. That’s how much money is needed to the remaining employees, at least, worked full-time.
It is necessary to find only 270 million. $ 10 million dollars. But the authorities do not demonstrate any desire to seek these funds. Patriotic deputies, most of whom only officially declared in their personal income by a few million of currency, — other priorities.
