17. 3. 2010 – Position of Forum Science Is Alive! on the discussion “FUTURE OF RESEARCH IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC”

On Tuesday 16 March 2010 the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic organised a debate “Future of Research in the Czech Republic”. According to the organisers, the goal was to introduce candidates to the governmental Council for Research, Development and Innovations (CRDI) to politicians, academics and the business community. The civic society Forum Science Is Alive! much welcomes this action because we believe that it is only fact-based discussion of expert public, political representation and representatives of all the institutions involved that can lead to the resolution of current problems facing Czech science and research. Members of the Forum Science Is Alive! who personally took part in the discussion, however, express their chagrin over the fact that it was only candidates nominated by the Academy of Sciences and by the Council of Higher Education Institutions who accepted the invitation to the discussion, while representatives of the industry nominated by the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic (CICR) did not. The result of this was that the debate was very similar to the public hearing of candidates to the CRDI organised by the Forum Science Is Alive! under the title “Vision for Czech Science” on 22 February 2010 (for a record of the hearing see http://www.primyprenos.cz/detail.php?zaznam=62&year=2010). In its press release dated 9 February 2010 the CICR states that “[I]ssues of nominations to the Council for Research, Development and Innovations is part and parcel of the issue of science and research funding and efficiency which demands fact-based and specialised argumentation and not pressure actions in the streets”. If candidates nominated by the CICR refused to participate in the discussion organised by the Forum Science Is Alive! because of fears of pressure action, why did they not accept the invitation from the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic? We repeatedly call on Jaroslav Míl, Pavel Kafka, Jiří Ciencial, Petr Kužel and Pavel Bartoš to introduce their concept of science policy to the public. Their current attitude gives rise to serious concerns that they either have no concept at all or that they intend to push it in underhand political dealings but not to defend it in a public debate.