The Hungarian government has overhauled the national science funding system, replacing the OTKA fund with the National Research Excellence Program (NKK), led by Nobel laureate Ferenc Krausz. Researchers, given only a month to adapt, face significant job loss due to a drastic cut in funded projects. Concerns have been raised about the new system’s centralized, opaque decision-making process, which could lead to biased funding distribution. The number of supported projects is expected to be halved from 350 under the previous system.
I think this is a serious mistake. It is extremely important to do research on the different fields of science. What could develop our world more than science? Think about medicine for example. Scientific research is the only thing that can find the way to cure lethal diseases or to develop medications that can fight off different illnesses. How can anything else be more important than scientific research? You cannot buy health for money. You can cure yourself by the wonderful discoveries of medical research. But I am not talking about only medicine. Finding alternate fuel for cars can be another example that justifies the importance of scientific research. Electric cars do not seem to be the only promising option when it comes to fuel. More research is needed for ensuring the transportation of the future.
What is more, we are talking about hard-working scientists and researchers. They sacrifices their life for science. Not only are they enthusiast but competent in what they are doing. Who else can be trust than them? If the government is going to replace the national funding system with another program (which is in my opinion means less support), those people will lose their trust and we can say goodbye to new discoveries.
In my view, it is something to consider.