To the Italian Minister of Education, University and Research Mrs. Letizia Moratti

In this event where the issue of brain drain is discussed, we feel it appropriate to give a contribution from our experience of former recipients of a Marie Curie Fellowship, and present holders of academic and research positions.

There is little need to remind you of recent resolutions of the European Commission (Lisbon 2000, Barcelona 2002, Brussels 2003) setting the goals for the next half decade in research and development fund raising. In spite of the request to raise the investments for research and developments to 3% of the total annual budget of the country, the Italian share has decreased as low as 1% of the GDP far away from the 2.7% of US and 3% of Japan. Moreover, Italy has the lowest European ratio for the number of Researchers per 1000 of inhabitants (2.8 versus an average of 5.4 in EU). Non-government funding of Research is of no significance, in Italy. In spite of the nearly 20 years since its establishment, the doctoral degree is neither known nor appreciated outside academia. The social consideration of the Researcher positions is very low in Italy, and so are the corresponding salaries.

We all know that challenges are facing us in the near future, and that research will play a fundamental role on this issue. Italy is not ready to face these challenges, and Italian politicians do not seem to be as worried as they should. This year a long sought novel procedure has been introduced in the evaluation of Universities, Departments, etc, but on the other hand, a progressive and indiscriminate budget cut in research funding, has been carried out over the past two years. In parallel your ministry has frozen any new recruitment of new young researchers, and has recently presented a new recruitment project which, if approved, will jeopardize the access to any academic and research position to the new generation for many years to come, as detailed in the accompanying document (in Italian).

Mrs. Moratti, we know very well the meaning of words such as international competition, strive for excellence, flexibility and mobility. Many of us have directly experienced the market competition in countries where most of the brain drain is directed (USA and North of Europe). Hence we know the long-term strategies that allow these countries to continuously import highly educated people from the rest of the world and to be leaders in research and development. We believe that Italy is not going on this direction. The strategy that you have presented will have far reaching negative consequences in the quality of our research system and will not address any of the existing problem which plague our academic system. The academic and research career will become progressively less and less appealing to the young generation; the human resources will become poorer. The Italian government must urgently change its policy which is in striking contrast with the European resolutions, as remarked above. The principal effort should be towards young people offering real and international competition to attract the best people from Italy and abroad: as a general rule in the job market, the higher the cut-off line, the better the final outcome.

18 June 2004,

Nora Brambilla, member of the MCFA Administrative board, science policy panel
Achille Giacometti, MCFA member
Marco Canepari, MCFA member
Tamara Grava, MCFA member

See more details on our position in the MCFA Document on the comparison between the EC strategy and direction on research and researcher careers and the Italian University reform law project (in Italian language).

If you agree with the above letter and would like to sign it, please submit the following form: