Premium
Money in scientists' pockets
Author(s) -
Gan Frank
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.1093/embo-reports/kve030
Subject(s) - schism , work (physics) , environmental ethics , public relations , political science , sociology , law , politics , philosophy , mechanical engineering , engineering
A current growth industry is the organisation of meetings between scientists and those who are often referred to as ‘society’. Behind the complicated but often stimulating discussions these meetings engender lies a profound schism between those close to science and technology and those who feel disenfranchised by it. There are many possible causes for this, including cryptic language, arrogance, different ethical perspectives, concern for the survival of life as we know it, conservatism, etc. However, I believe there is one particular aspect which may be at the core of the problem: money.A recent development in the life sciences is that research has become very expensive. This has multiple consequences. To maintain a research group, we scientists have had to develop new skills to convince politicians that more money should be provided for our work, which has moved science onto the agendas of cabinets worldwide. Nations are proud or self‐conscious about the percentage of GDP they spend on research. Those countries with a high level of funding do so in the expectation that it is an investment that will bring rewards in terms of sophisticated …