Argentine biochemist Alejandro Nadra is deeply concerned about the impact of President Javier Milei’s drastic budget cuts on scientific research. Since Milei took office, Argentina’s public university and research budgets have been frozen, even as inflation skyrocketed to 236%. Real spending on science and technology has plummeted, dropping by 33% year-on-year, according to the CIICTI research center. This financial strain has led Nadra to halt some of his critical experiments involving the study of proteins that cause gene mutations responsible for debilitating diseases.
In his lab at the University of Buenos Aires, a historic institution known for producing three Nobel laureates, Nadra expressed a grim outlook on the future of science in Argentina, stating that the sector is “on the verge of collapse.” Many other professionals in various sectors, including artists, teachers, and social workers, are also suffering from the government’s cost-cutting measures, which aim to control inflation and public debt. According to Nadra, young scientists are no longer applying for scholarships or teaching positions due to the financial instability, and those who do find themselves working in poorly equipped labs that lack basic supplies.
Nadra’s research has been severely disrupted, as he has not been able to purchase essential materials since November. “If I run out of supplies, I either borrow from colleagues or stop the experiments altogether,” he lamented. The financial struggles are exacerbated by the significant decline in salaries for research assistants at Argentina’s Conicet research council, whose gross monthly income is now about 30% lower than the previous year, hovering around $1,180.
Argentina’s broader financial crisis is also taking a toll on its population, with over 52.9% living in poverty. Biologist Edith Kordon, who studies breast cancer at the IFIBYNE state research institute, similarly echoed these concerns, describing the unprecedented lack of funding that has left her unable to conduct meaningful research.
Former science minister Lino Barañao recently highlighted that, even before Milei’s severe budget cuts, Argentina invested only 0.31% of its GDP in science, compared to significantly higher rates in countries like Brazil, the United States, and South Korea. This figure has now dropped even further, to around 0.2% of GDP. Barañao and other experts agree that this reduction could irreparably harm Argentina’s scientific infrastructure. For instance, past investments once enabled the development of drought-resistant transgenic wheat by a Conicet team—such breakthroughs now seem out of reach under current financial constraints.
Despite a recent adjustment of Conicet’s 2024 working budget to just over $100,000, physicists like Jorge Aliaga argue that this is woefully insufficient, labeling the increase “irrelevant” for solving the ongoing crisis. Adding to the outcry, 68 Nobel laureates from around the world have voiced their concern, warning that Argentina’s research system is teetering on a dangerous precipice.
President Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” has been critical of the academic community, accusing scientists and intellectuals of using their degrees to assert superiority. This friction, combined with budget cuts, puts Argentina’s scientific future in jeopardy as the country’s research institutions struggle to survive under the weight of financial strain.
