Aussies cutting 25% of science support staff

Apparently, the Italians are not the only ones deciding that Science is not worth their money:

"Australia's major government science body, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), announced last week that it is planning to cut up to 25% of its research support staff in an effort to save money."

But apparently, it's not because they need the money:

"According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Whelan told the Senate committee that the CSIRO was already $1 million in deficit for this year and had sought permission from the Department of Finance to be allowed to run up a deficit of around $14 million.

However, he told The Scientist that the deficits were not an indication that the organization was in financial trouble. "It couldn't be further from the truth," he said. "Revenue from government and external sources is growing. Last year was challenging in the context of the plans we've set for ourselves, it's not that in absolute terms we're in problems."

Instead, this is a move to reorganize divisions and focus resources on so-called 'flagship programs' which have been put forward by the administration. In the eyes of the scientists, this is not good news as one puts it:

"Part of the change going on now is as much about saving money as it is about breaking down boundaries between organizational units," Borgas noted.

That change has been accompanied by a tendency for executive management to take a stronger role in setting research agendas, Borgas added, which is angering bench scientists. "It's a real problem. I think the scientists in the organization don't like that sort of top-down interference. I think this will lead to some pretty big problems in the near term. There's distrust between bench scientists and senior management."