More than 300 projects could be compromised after the Ministry of Education and Research decided to make budget cuts. The officials in the Ministry intend to cut half of the research fund for the projects won over the last two years, after an assessment to be conducted by international experts.
But the researcher’s have not been previously informed and have no saying in the matter.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Education, the budget cut is made because the projects financing cannot be covered anymore, since their success rates were unusually high, up to 71% of the projects contracted in 2011.
Researchers argue that the cuts were not made according to an assessment and have affected all the projects.
“We have received an invitation, actually a summon, to sign by April 22, the new contracts based on a Ministry Order that does not exists ” – prof. Liviu Ornea from the Faculty of Mathematics in Bucharest explained for Gandul newspaper.
The same thing was reported by Ovidiu Sirbu, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, who returned last year from Germany to Romania to develop a cancer research.
„Most likely we will go back where we came from " – the professor argued.
Contacted by the journalists from " Gândul ", Education Minister Pricopie Remus said he had nothing to comment further than what the press release said. The Minister delegate for Research, Mihnea Costoiu could not be contacted.
Researchers argue that the budget cut is all the more strange as there has been no research budget amendment. The Research budget is 665 million for 2013 while in 2012 it was 995 million lei.