Between 2004 and 2015, R&D in Argentina steadily grew at a rate of 8%–10%, and the previous government had plans to increase the number of Argentine researchers in 2017 by 10%, calling for one thousand new researchers last year. However, in November 2016, Congress approved budget cuts of approximately 16%, down from the original 30% in cuts new president Mauricio Macri had proposed due to protests from the scientific community. In 2015, after elections, President Macri had stated his plans to increase Argentina’s science and technology investments from 0.7% of the country’s GDP to 1.5% of GDP, but academics believe the recent cuts to science R&D will not achieve this. The cuts will impact funding of research projects, new infrastructure and salaries. Researcher salaries are already lower in Argentina than in other countries, and grants are estimated to be about 20 times lower than the average research award in Europe. The ongoing declines in R&D budgets have academics worried about a “brain drain,” as 55% of new researchers will not be supported this year, a decrease of 500 people from 2015, which will impact new and ongoing research projects in the country.

Source: Chemistry World