The president of the Chilean Academy of Sciences, Sergio Lavandero, warned that the 2027 Budget would impose a cut on the scientific sector "of a magnitude never seen before, 10%", according to El Mostrador. Lavandero addressed the joint congressional subcommittee reviewing the Government's proposal on Wednesday and spoke with the outlet on Thursday.
In Lavandero's view, the proposal would reduce public investment in science from 0.41% to 0.31% of gross domestic product (GDP). The average for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the group of countries to which Chile belongs, is 1% in government investment and 2.7% when the private sector is included.
The same subcommittee rejected the Government's proposal by 3 votes to 2. For Lavandero, that vote creates room for negotiation.
For the second year, the Academy prepared an independent study of the science budget. Unlike the previous year, this time it made the study public and submitted it to the subcommittee. According to Lavandero, the speakers agreed on the assessment. "There were no two interpretations," he said.
The hardest-hit area would be scientific equipment, with a reduction of nearly 80%. Lavandero gave examples: in Arica, this equipment supports border control and mining; in Atacama, it is used to study water; and in Santiago, to measure pollution. "If we do not replace equipment, we are condemning Chile's development," he said.
The second program affected is applied science, research aimed at solving specific production or social problems. Lavandero called it "a contradiction, because this government wants to promote precisely that." The third supports the placement of young researchers in universities and companies.
Lavandero also put the sector's share of spending in perspective. According to his analysis, the Ministry of Science ranks 15 among ministries by allocated budget and accounts for 0.6% of the total. "If that minimal amount is then cut by 10%, it is truly very concerning," he said.
Lavandero argued that many countries invest more in science during difficult times and said that such investment yields a return of more than 20%. El Mostrador does not specify which study that figure comes from. He added that over 40 or 50 years, governments of all political stripes had built scientific capabilities that are now at stake.
The Academy's president, whose institution brings together more than 70 National Prize winners, said a cross-party group of lawmakers had been receptive to his arguments. He recalled discussing the previous report last year with the minister responsible, whom the article does not name.
Lavandero concluded with a question he had put to the subcommittee: "What is the current government's science and technology plan? I have heard the minister talk about pillars, about innovation, but what is the plan? We still do not know." The Government had not publicly answered the question by the time this article was completed, according to the available information.
