Research or inertia?
Some things never change. Politicians may promise and brag, news media may report breathlessly on any inch of progress, and legions of people distinguished in their fields may devote money, time and their reputation to the cause, but Greece seems unable to invest seriously in research and innovation. The lack of strategy, the obstructionist bureaucracy, the interests of groups (and individuals) conspire towards the chronic waste of resources and human capital. Whatever successes are achieved are a measure for us to consider how many initiatives were lost like seeds on barren earth. The shame is that Greece has the people who could achieve things at the international level, as many say (politicians included).
The problems are well known and the proposed solutions many. These are not complicated but demand political will. Many, too, are the people. There can be no innovation without research. Research demands time, money and policies that will encourage, nurture and make use of it. This can come only with strict criteria and serious appraisal of institutions, people and processes, so that every euro spent will go towards progress. Otherwise, today’s situation will continue, in which money is scattered around without clear goals, without the necessary connections between research, universities and industry.
Research demands time, money and policies that will encourage, nurture and make use of it
Although there have been attempts to improve things, they usually lead nowhere. It is still not clear whether anything will come of the recent evaluation of research centers conducted by internationally distinguished scientists (Greeks and others who responded to the invitation of the National Council on Research, Technology and Innovation), or whether this too will be placed in the overflowing archive of good intentions and stillborn proposals.
Tourism and real estate are not enough for Greece to develop in a just and stable way. The country has people with talent, knowledge and appetite for work, who could succeed. There are, also, serious proposals for research to grow and for its fruits to multiply. For these reasons, maintaining the state of things is clearly a conscious decision.
