CZECH: Scientists demand reform

Czech scientists have launched a petition demanding reform of the science sector and universities in reaction to what they call threats Czech science and education have faced under recent governments, reports Ceske Noviny. They have also demanded dismissal of the government's Council for Research and Development.

The first signatories include renowned Czech scientists and university teachers such as astrophysicist Jiri Grygar, philosopher and former education minister Jan Sokol, lawyer at Cardiff University Jiri Priban, logician Pavel Materna, and physicist Jiri Bicak.

Scientists' protests flared up earlier this summer in reaction to a new system of state subsidies distribution, based on a new method of assessing scientific work. The change mainly affects the Czech Academy of Sciences. The annual subsidies it receives from the state are to drop by half in the next three years.
Full report on the Ceske Noviny site