French research also being stifled by autocracy

摘要

Your Editorial 'Scientific glasnost' (Nature 464,141-142; 2010) highlights parochial anachronisms in the Russian Academy of Sciences that are obstructing the development of a knowledge-based economy. Russia is not alone: science in France has been experiencing similar problems.rnUnfortunately for Europe, French politicians do not seem to have properly understood that research is crucial for an efficient economy. Germany is not the only country to demonstrate that research investment of at least 3% of gross national product (GNP) has positive short-term and medium-term effects on the country's industrial output, thanks to inventions and start-ups -less populous nations such as Switzerland and Finland have shown the same.