Recently I have got this interesting question, so let me please share answer on this question with you.
Here is quick insight into science in Slovakia:
GDP of Slovakia is 87.84 billion USD, expenditures for science and research are around 0.3% of this, what is 260 mill USD, what is spread across 13 universities and multiple research centres. In next 5 years they will decrease funding for science and research by 30%. Most of this money are support from European Union.
These money are assigned to scientific institutions in 2 ways. By fixed amount for 1 employee and using grants. Fixed amount for 1 employee covers wage and some basic spendings related to his existence in this institution. So main source are grants. Grants are assigned based on a project proposal, what is specification, which needs to have around 300 pages. If you have well written project, you have around 30% probability to get funding. This probability is much higher, if you are willing to pay 30% of project money as bribe for officials. 30% is amount, if you know someone close to officials, if not, the share could be even 50%. During my stay on PhD. studies I have cooperate on 3 grants, all of them get refused. So few months work of 10+ people just disappear (you can not resubmit the same project). Problem 1. minimal support for science and high level of corruption.
This is macroscopic (state) point of view. Let`s zoom a bit closer. On University/Faculty level. One would expect, that at least university/faculty will make everything to support science and research. Well reality is a bit different. About grants, if you are even the one lucky and you get a grant, there is great financial system, which just does not allow you to access your money first and last month of year, so you are pretty limited in conference choice, when you have to pay fees etc. Also, if you are buying some equipment, everything goes through this system, and it is not surprising, when you request some book and you wait 1-2 months for them. Well there is next interesting informational system, for study agenda, to keep track on grades and stuff. Students complain about it, lecturers complain about it, even some secretaries complain about it, but someone buy it, so there is no other option, than just live with it. Just to mention in short state of building and equipment of our university. Recently (1 year ago), part of the building collapsed, so far university is looking for money to fix it. Temporary measure is to deny access there. Problem 2. non-existence of dialogue between University/Faculty and its employees/students and poor (in term of material) environment.
Let's zoom a bit more, on student level. Well, when one is for example mathematician, he don't need fancy environment and tons of money for equipment, paper and pen are enough for him. So how doctoral research itself is supported? As doctoral student in Slovakia one get around 400 Euro a moth as support. Price for 1 bedroom apartment is around 350 a month. What gives you option to stay on college together with cockroaches, mold in shower and throwing up student in toilet (one toilet for 10-30 people). Other option is let parents support you. Lunch costs around 5€, if you are humble and can cook, you can get in 7€ a day for food. As you can see, financial situation of doctoral student in Slovakia is really not shining. But let's forgot about money and concentrate on research. For research one need articles, books and equipment. Both of the is a bit a problem. University has some subscriptions, but if you need article from other source (I desperately needed some from SpringerLink) you can buy it for your own, or ask friend working on foreign university to get it for you (this could get pretty wrong, if you ask him 1-2 times every week). Books are available in university/faculty library, commonly in number of pieces 1 and some of them you can not take away from library, so you can just scan parts of them. Off course, if you need latest edition of books, in many cases e-books are your only option, often illegally acquired (but at least it is for good thing, research). Equipment is primary problem. If you can not fit your equipment into grant, or you don't have enough money, your only option is to ask someone, if he does not have some money left in his grant. I needed few cameras and couple of graphic cards, I participate on 2 grants to get money for it, none of them was approved. Total cost of it was around 1500 €. Problem 3. Life of doctoral student is close to surviving with little (material) support for his existence and research.
This is just few problems, not mention high level of bureaucracy, clerks who scream on you and are always right, even if they are not... Despite all this, intellectual environment on faculty was really great and stimulating. All the people there are truly professionals and some of them has great publications on world best conferences. I have learn a lot from them. I really admire them, especially when they can do science in any conditions available. I am kind of person, which can take a lot, but if someone (as we say in Slovakia) constantly "throws logs under your feet", one can not expect me just to smile and keep walking.
Also, I am not the only one, who take this path, to abandon original PhD. study on our faculty and start elsewhere. It is more of us. They have more or less the same reasons like me. Personally I know few people from our department who started on our university and then switch, also after PhD. some of them return back. One past colleague, former PhD student on our university, switched to Japanese university, others migrate mostly to Germany, Austria, England and recently on friend of mine, who was in 3. year of his PhD. switched to MIT.
I think that, so much excuses is enough, perhaps behind it all is some part on my subconscious, which just does not wants to be there any more. I will see results of my decisions when I will be older, with some time distance between their execution and my judgement.
No comments:
Post a Comment