The next day after having emerged as the candidate with the most votes in the elections, in an August that seems to have happened two centuries ago, Javier Milei He said he would close the CONICET. His opinion was accompanied with arguments related to poor productivity, the lack of relevance of research areas or simply saying that it was a “private” matter. From that moment until today, the entire Argentine scientific community has been in turmoil.
The Scimago Ranking is a tool that evaluates and classifies research institutions worldwide using the Scopus database. We are talking about a quantitative indicator, that is, it collects information about scientific production and does the math. This process involves reviewing not only the quantity of scientific documents linked to an institution but also the quality. What is quality for the scientific world? That you publish in places where the evaluation is exhaustive, where many people read you and then they quote you a lot. If it can be in the middle, have international collaboration.
According to this algorithm, CONICET is located in position 224 out of 9054. Let me say: better than 95% of the scientific world. If we put the magnifying glass on Latin America, we go down to 628 institutions, placing the Council as the best government institution, and if we add universities and companies to the analysis, it is still top 3. Followed by the UBA, which appears as part of the 15 best.
We can discuss the rankings, but according to the hard data of how much is published, with what impact and with what international links, the productivity claim is false. Not only that, one of Mr. President’s comparisons was with NASA. Who is worst placed in said ranking and with 72 times more budget, although the comparison does not apply because they have different objectives.
What the fuck is Batman’s anus?
A very funny point (if that word touches) in recent months was the Vice President talking about a scientific work called “Batman’s dilated anus: notes for an investigation into archives of hate and erasure of sexual-gender dissidence”, produced by the researcher Facundo Saxe. There is already a ton of analysis on this, but I want to go to a particular point: who defines what is investigated and for what purpose?
The answer in 280 characters is simple, with a country that has millions of poor people we cannot invest in anything. Many of us will agree with this statement, but unfortunately it makes invisible many aspects that deserve analysis.
First, CONICET has 4 large areas, Agricultural, Engineering and Materials Sciences, Biological and Health Sciences, Exact and Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and Humanities. There is an almost equal distribution of researchers in the 4 areas, that is, it is a lie that there are more in social sciences. I know you’re thinking, – there has to be more in health sciences, in engineering, we have to develop the country!! -. Again we’re going to agree with that. Then we must talk about improving salaries and working conditions so that young people choose scientific careers, that is, more investment, not less. Let’s keep going.
Returning to Mr. Batman and his body parts, throughout the world there is a debate about creating incentives to guide scientific careers, but understanding that today multidisciplinary and complex problems are the norm. The challenges that all countries have cannot be attacked with engineering alone; there are social, ethical, governmental or cultural implications that demand professionals trained in all disciplines. What is missing in this sense are serious and professional spaces for debate and agreement, plus the correct economic and political incentives. We need spaces anti crack and anti 280 characters. I know, I thought the same thing, it’s very difficult. But there is no other option.
Science and technology, things from the private world
One of the comments that generated the most debate was about who should invest in science and technology. Spoiler alert, in developed countries this is not a debate. Back in 2003, a theorist from the University of California introduced a concept that gave a name and surname to a process that is the rule today, Open Innovation. This explains that research and development is no longer done within the 4 walls of an organization, whether public or private. But not only that, it argues that without an ecosystem of several institutions investing in basic and applied science and generating innovations (products or services that reach the market) things simply do not happen.
Those software engineers who today push the technological frontier in companies like Mercado Libre or Tesla are trained in universities, with professors who are also scientists. Doing internships in laboratories within CONICET, which in turn develop technology-based companies co-financed with private capital. We are talking about a great global system, which took years to build, and which is reproduced in all areas of knowledge. Let’s look at the COVID vaccine developed between a private Argentine company and a national university, the only one in Latin America.
Specifically, if we look for example at the percentage of GDP of public investment in states such as Chile, Brazil or Mexico, it is greater than 1%. While in Argentina it does not reach 0.35%. Let’s not even talk about that first world where between 2 or 4% of its gross product is invested. I return to the point, the private sector has to be increasingly a reference in R&D&I investment, but without a partnership with the National Public Innovation System they will not be able to enter long-term innovation paths.
Conclusions of an unfinished topic
There are points in the opinions of recent months that are true, there is science only motivated by the curiosity of the researcher, and there are strategic areas that deserve more qualified resources. But one thing is not strictly linked to the other, the issue is not going to be saved with less investment, and in the face of Argentina’s problems we are going to need all professions.
Finally, if we think about a productive (private) sector with greater participation, international experiences speak of an open innovation system that puts the private and public sectors to play on the same team. Because at the end of the day, should all Argentines play with the same blue and white jersey, right?
Secretary of Science and Technology of the University of Buenos Aires
Source: Ambito
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