National Observatory of Athens opposes being moved to Civil Protection
The government’s intention to incorporate the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), the oldest and one of the largest research institutions in the country, into the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, by cutting it off from the General Secretariat of Research and Technology, where all research centers belong, is coming under fire from the research community.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the associations of researchers from key institutions in Athens, such as ELKETHE, Demokritos, Athena and EKKE expressed their opposition, as did researchers from FORTH on Crete.
Researchers say the move would adversely impact academic freedom, the management of existing research projects, new funding, and the operation of large national research infrastructures that the ministry does not know how to manage. Most (85%) of NOA’s research work is not related to civil protection and climate issues.
The government has insisted the change will “enhance the effectiveness of civil protection, crisis management, and the existing National Aerial Search and Rescue Mechanism.”
