Questo e' uno dei paragrafi iniziali di una lettera pubblicata su Science lo scorso 21 Marzo da un gruppo di 776 ricercatori indirizzata al senatore Rita Levi-Montalcini. Non sappiamo quanta eco mediatica abbia avuto questa lettera, ma questo disperato grido d'aiuto del mondo della ricerca verso il mondo politico, forse avrebbe meritato un po' di attenzione in questa lunga campagna per le elezioni.

Campagna per le elezioni in cui nessun partecipante (soprattutto tra i big) si e' interessato al mondo della ricerca, al denaro per la ricerca, alla liberta' di ricerca, e come in questo caso a chi la ricerca la manda avanti e fa lo schiavo dietro un bancone.

"We work at least as much as long-term employees but we do not have the same rights. In Italy there are only a few open competitions, and, even worse, they often look like farces: The name of the winner is known even before the call for expression of interest is issued! Meritocracy in Italy is an empty word seldom translated into reality. Fast university careers are only for the chosen ones or the descendants of families traditionally connected with the university. Everybody knows that it takes good opportunities to improve one's skills, but opportunities are not for everyone according to their merits. And the situation is even worse for women.

As we strive to defeat cancer, discover new molecules and genes, develop new software, support an ever-changing culture, and identify new ways to teach and learn, remember that achieving these goals is partly due to the work of university researchers with temporary contracts, who have worked for years hoping to finally obtain a job that would give them economic stability and freedom."

La risposta della Montalcini e' breve e con un tono quasi distaccato: come dire che queste cose le sanno tutti, la vostra lettera e' inutile, la soluzione e' senza speranza.

"I am well aware of the precarious situation in Italy regarding researchers with temporary employment contracts. During the approval of Italy's 2008 Budget, I supported measures to stabilize employment for those working under temporary contracts. Although the government was not able to invest heavily in this expenditure, the Budget Law did allocate funds to reduce unsteady employment.

I hope the new government will be able to ameliorate this long-standing problem, and I also assure my continued support during the next legislature."

Segnaliamo anche un interessante speciale di Galileonet su cosa pensano i candidati per quanto riguarda i problemi della ricerca.

Grazie a Pablito per la segnalazione.

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