Several prominent scientists have stepped down from Greece¡¯s National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation (Esetek), citing frustrations with a ¡°fragmented¡± research system lacking ¡°coordination and strategy¡±.

The Harvard University biologist Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas, the advisory body¡¯s former president, the historian Angelos Chaniotis, of the Princeton-based Institute for Advanced Study, and Harvard mathematician Petros Koumoutsakos were among the first resignations, with more expected to follow.

Chaniotis said his resignation arose from a ¡°deep disappointment with the government¡¯s lack of understanding of how basic research works and what it needs¡±. The government failed to respond to several Esetek recommendations, he said, including the reduction of ¡°bureaucratic procedures¡± and an increased?budget for basic research.

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Esetek further advised the consolidation of research conducted at universities and research institutes, which are currently supervised by different ministries: the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Development respectively. This recommendation also received no response, Chaniotis said.

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¡°In a small country, the limited resources available for research should be used as part of a national strategy that prioritises specific targets and enhances synergies,¡± Chaniotis said. At present, he said, ¡°coordination and strategy are hardly possible due to the existence of several ministries that supervise and fund research¡±. The establishment of a ministry for higher education and research, he said, could resolve this fragmentation.

¡°You resign when you¡¯re not effective any more, and I don¡¯t think I was very effective at this point,¡± Artavanis-Tsakonas told?Times Higher Education.

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¡°Esetek is only an advisory body, which is OK, but we have zero executive power, we don¡¯t control any funds.¡±

Describing a ¡°huge problem with bureaucracy¡± in Greek science, Artavanis-Tsakonas said ¡°more organised, thoughtful policies¡± were needed. ¡°Greece has huge intellectual capital, but heroic researchers are operating with little money and very unpredictable funding plans.¡±

The division of responsibility for research across multiple ministries was particularly problematic, he said, considering ¡°traditional barriers that existed between disciplines are disappearing¡±.

Artavanis-Tsakonas further noted an overemphasis on applied research, to the detriment of basic science. ¡°What Greece does not yet understand is that the mother of all startups is basic research,¡± he said.

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Unlike other advisory bodies such as the National Council of Higher Education (EthAAE), the government is not required to consult Esetek. ¡°Sometimes it requests its opinion, sometimes it ignores it,¡± Chaniotis said. Esetek was not consulted on major decisions including the establishment of one of the European Union¡¯s AI Factories in Greece, he noted.

In comparison, Chaniotis said, ¡°EthAAE¡¯s opinion is asked for every decision in higher education, from the change of the name of an undergraduate study programme to the establishment of a private university. The Ministry of Education is not obliged to follow its recommendations, but it is obliged to consider them.¡±

THE approached Greece¡¯s Secretariat for Research and Technology for comment.

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com