T Stifle Creativity', Say 1600 Scientists

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news of Otago in molecular reproduction and endocrinology; Richard Randerson, an Anglican priest with a strong record in social German research agency ‘doesn’t issues; and Jacqueline Allan, a medical prac- titioner of Maori descent. stifle creativity’, say 1,600 scientists The opposition National Party has attacked the lack of any panel members with Munich quarter of the 1,600-odd signatories are industrial experience. But Hobbs rejects this, More than 1,600 German scientists have young scientists such as PhD students or saying that “the production community will rallied to the defence of the country’s main postdoctoral researchers. Most are institute be welcome to contribute”. grant-giving agency for basic research, the heads or other well-established researchers. University scientists appear reconciled to Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). But Jahn, 48, an experienced DFG referee the ban on GMO release, as they have escaped Their action is a response to allegations that and a winner of the agency’s DM3 million the restrictions on laboratory work sought by the agency is reluctant to fund research (US$1.4 million) Leibniz prize for his the Green Party. Researchers can still argue outside the scientific mainstream. research on biological membranes, says for exemptions for non-commercial work, In today’s Nature (see page 922), the that “the time has come for the whole such as the control of possums. But Green- scientists defend the DFG against criticism community to positively affirm the DFG peace and other activists have described the from parts of Germany’s scientific and to protect it against damage”. moratorium as contradictory and voiced community recently reported in German Jahn says he decided to initiate the chain concerns over “the risk of irreversibility”. newspapers (see Nature 404, 217; 2000). letter after reading last month’s Nature The Crown Research Institutes, set up by The complaints, they argue, are article. “Such negative reports about the the previous government and funded unrepresentative and largely unjustified, DFG are grist to the mill of those who would through contract work from both the public given the DFG’s generally “unbiased like to increase political influence on our and private sector, have angered conserva- support for creative, high-quality research self-governing agency,” he says. tionists by pressing for expanded field trials. and its programmes for young scientists”. Jahn returned to Germany in 1997 after But science minister Pete Hodgson has told The letter was drafted by Reinhard Jahn six years at the Howard Hughes Medical the institutes to toe the government’s line. and Herbert Jäckle, directors at the Max Institute in Yale. He challenges the claim Spokesman and head of HortResearch, Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry that the DFG is less efficient than US or UK Ian Warrington, says that the restrictions in Göttingen. It was mailed to a number of funding agencies. “Compared, for example, “will cause the termination of some research”. randomly chosen scientists, with a request with the procedures of the European Michael Dunbier, chief of the Crop and Food to sign it and forward it to colleagues. Commission, the DFG is certainly capable of Research Institute, says the ban could cause The initiative was well received — albeit funding the best research in a highly scientists to leave New Zealand. Peter Pockley mainly by senior scientists. Only about a efficient manner,” he says. Quirin Schiermeier