Senator Girardi and MP Jackson Request More Budget for Science

PPD MPs Guido Girardi and RD Giorgio Jackson, Presidents of Future Senate Commissions and of Lower House Science, criticized the government's reduction of resources allocated to science in the National Budget.

The parliamentarians as well as the astronomer María Teresa Ruiz, president of the Academy of Sciences of Chile, also regretted the resignation of the astronomer Mario Hamuy to the presidency of the National Commission of the research (Scientific and technological (Conicyt)). ,

"Chile now has a Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), thanks to the efforts of many who have been led by Mario Hamuy , selfless manner, he managed to take the initiative. his resignation is linked to the disenchantment of the government which, by reducing the budget in this business, renounces the future ", has underlined Mr. Girardi.

million. Girardi said that he was "very worried". for what is happening in this country in terms of science, technology, innovation and culture. There is no doubt that, more and more, it is important to bet in these areas . Chile has unique opportunities that it had not yet had – more irradiated wilderness, window on the universe, food power, its natural labs, lithium – but none of that is unheard of. is compatible with the resources allocated to this case. "

Legislator on the PPD He recalled that" 80% of President Piñera's very good speech to the UN related to the way in which Chile progressed considerably in terms of development. In the US he has met the CEOs of Amazon, Google, Twitter, Mercado Libre, because he considers that it is a priority, but all of this is not compatible with the resources allocated to this issue in the national budget. "

For the senator" the 4.6% decrease in the budget allocated to science, technology and innovation is a real setback that prevents Chile from crossing this course of development. 20% less for Corfo who stops the innovation; 30% less energy prevent Chile from being a leader in solar energy. "

Girardi added that e" items destined for the new Ministry of Science do not exist and will only be a white elephant. Chile needs science, real policies, not pyrotechnics to realize these opportunities. We allocate only 0.38% of our GDP to science, less than the countries in the region and much less than those in the OECD. The president says "we want to look like Korea and Finland", but they spend ten times more. "

For his part, Representative Jackson pointed out that it was" an alarming step back that was pushing us to make our voices heard that the government – in the first budget of the nation that sets the growth parameter for years to come – decided not to allocate resources where it did not put the words. "

Jackson recalled that" the current Nobel laureate Paul Romer, economics, baderts that productivity and technological development phenomena are important for long-term growth . The government is giving up on the long-term growth and the future of future generations, and the slogan of their first children is disappearing. "

And he baderted that a" budget like this, in terms of science and technology we will not approve. "