correspondence Time to stop blaming communism in Hungary Restrictive funding criteria put young researchers at a disadvantage in many countries.

Sir — Your News Feature “Dreaming universities (Debrecen, Szeged and that the biggest obstacle to young on the Danube” (Nature 427, 94–95; Veszprém) are at least as good as, if not Hungarian talent is the way in which 2004) is right to emphasize the unused better than, that of their counterpart in research funding is distributed, but intellectual potential in Hungary but it Budapest. It is not accidental that the only this problem is not unique to Hungary. gives a flawed image of Hungarian Hungarian-born Nobel laureate who did Whenever grant recipients are primarily science overall. his award-winning work in Hungary, selected using criteria based on previous First, the tendency to equate Hungary Albert Szent-Györgyi, was a faculty merit, such as the number of publications, with its capital Budapest is always member in Szeged. it makes it difficult for young professionals annoying. Although Budapest is home to Second, I think it is unhelpful to refer to develop independent research. about 20% of the Hungarian population to the Hungarian language as “notoriously Hungary has had two conservative and for historical reasons, most Hungarian complex”.Its internal logic is certainly very harshly anti-communist governments since students do not study in Budapest and different from that of European languages, 1990 and this system got their blessings as most Hungarian researchers do not but this does not make it more complex. well. Blaming the old communist era for work there. Hungarian is a language in which there is everything bad is a political game that has I am a 30-year-old chemist working only one past, one present and one future very little credibility now. at the University of Debrecen in eastern tense for verbs. Gábor Lente Hungary. In my discipline, the inter- Finally, I disagree that the brain-drain Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, national reputations of the research problem has anything to do with Soviet- University of Debrecen, 4010 Debrecen, communities at three Hungarian era thinking and the ‘old guard’.I agree POB 21, Hungary

Hungary: basic science matters worse, because the modest Then we could start working for Europe increase in Hungarian science funding instead of dreaming about it. needs European support has been used to emulate EU Framework László Hunyady Sir — Your News Feature “Dreaming on programmes in supporting applied Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, the Danube” (Nature 427, 94–95; 2004) research, ignoring the needs of basic 1088 Budapest, Puskin u. 9, Hungary painted a grim picture of Hungarian science and distributing disproportionately science, reflecting the frustration of young large funds to a lucky few. This approach scientists with the funding system. is particularly problematic for a small Having returned to Hungary in 1995 country, which has its main strengths — Let’s hope there’s a good and established a laboratory with mostly as your “Eastern promise” Editorial points year on the cards foreign support, I agree that without out — “not in technology development, this it is almost impossible for young where existing policy has its focus, but in Sir — Yet another Christmas and New Year scientists to return and establish basic research” (Nature 426, 369; 2003). have gone by without a card from The independent research. But the real problem The same Editorial mentioned that the Journal of This or Trends in That, in either is the serious underfunding of research, European Commission is finally starting mail box, real or electronic. especially basic research, which affects to recognize the importance of the A little odd in a communications- scientists of all ages. “untapped scientific potential” of newly conscious society, no? Perhaps I didn’t In my opinion, Hungarian science joining countries for the competitiveness provide any ‘expert’ reviewing last year should be discussed in its context within of the EU. after all. Of course, I may just have the European Union (EU), which could Currently, support for basic research unfashionable views of the festive play a much greater role in revitalizing is left to the member countries in the EU, season, coming as I do from the last science in a country with a record of not all of which can afford it. To allow century when people believed in Santa producing high-impact research for fair competition for EU money in both Claus and Mickey Mouse. low cost. applied and basic research, specific funds Come on, Editors, be a trifle old-fashioned In 2003, the average Hungarian should be established to support basic for once, even if you do resort to e-mail. Scientific Research Fund (OTKA) grant science in new EU member countries Best wishes for what will surely be was roughly US$10,000, minus 20% whose per capita GDPs are well below another glorious year in science. for value-added tax. In my experience, the European average. Simon Wain-Hobson it takes at least ten times more to establish Private organizations in Europe and Molecular Retrovirology Unit, Department of a competitive life-sciences research overseas already support basic science in Virology, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, laboratory in Hungary. Fortunately, many Hungary. In my view, if the EU is serious 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France foreign grants offer funding in this range about expanding the European research for scientists under 35 who want to return area, it must do more than simply drain Nature sent each of our reviewers for to Hungary, but Hungarian science cannot talent away from the new member 2003 a copy of the last issue of the year rely for ever on the generosity of foreign countries. The cost of such investment with a letter of thanks — Editor, charities. The question is: in a small would be minimal, because 0.25% of the Correspondence. country with a low gross domestic product EU’s annual €178-billion (US$227-billion) (GDP), where will the money come from? expenditure on research and development correspondence When I returned to Hungary, I hoped would create a fund ten times bigger than Contributions to Correspondence may be submitted that this help would come eventually from OTKA, and the EU could guarantee that to [email protected]. They should be no longer the EU. But the EU has indirectly made the system would be fair and merit-based. than 500 words, and ideally shorter.

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