Funds to research from the tax shield? Bignami: we could guarantee a Nobel Prize

Some of the funds obtained by the tax shield should be invested in research. This is the proposal made from the pages of the newspaper “Corriere della Sera” by one of the most important representatives of science, the astrophysicist Giovanni Bignami: Bignami lectures at the university institute IUSS in Pavia, he is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, and of the Academy of France, and was chairman of the Italian Space Agency until August 2008.

After all, the tax shield brought a lot of money into the state’s coffers; on 1 December, the Revenue Agency was predicting receipts of €3.7 billion, but the actual sum was about €4.7 billion. And it is this surplus that is so tempting to Italian researchers. Bignami has taken this proposal to heart, and today he is making his appeal also to the readers of VareseNews, considering also that Varese could attract a great deal of attention from the point of view of space investments.

Giovanni Bignami, what exactly does your proposal entail?
“Of course, I can’t ask for all of the funds obtained by the tax shield, because there was already an investment plan. However, we know that the receipts were greater than predicted. My suggestion is to invest these receipts in research. The amount I’m talking about is a very small amount extra for the general needs of the country, but it could revolutionise this sector.”

 What is the situation of Italian investment in research?
“We currently have 18 institutes governed by the Ministry for University and Research, and the sum of all of the funds allocated by the state is around €1.6 billion. Last year, it was €1.8 billion, so there has been a very serious drop in investments.”

This might be the fault of the crisis. How are things in Europe?
“Not like this, in fact, quite the opposite. Sarkozy has just invested €19 billion in research and in education. Merkel has invested €8 billion in fundamental research. I know the European examples very well, and I can say, with certainty, that the situation in Italy is, unfortunately, quite different.” 

What advantage would the country gain by investing in research?
“The addition of one billion to Italian research could really change things, everyone knows this. I can also say that, with an extra one billion, the scientific community could guarantee a Nobel Prize within ten years.”

How is that possible?
“Basically, the race for the Nobel Prize can be compared to the Olympics; the more athletes we have competing, the greater the chance of victory. At the moment, the National Research Council (NRC), which is the largest Italian research centre, has around 5000 researchers. In France, the National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) has four times as many. But that’s not enough. The French NCSR enjoys investments of €3.3 billion, against the €500 million of the NRC, so it’s not surprising that the NCSR has obtained 16 Nobel Prizes, and the NRC hasn’t had any. Furthermore, there is some really promising research currently being done, in which these funds could be used with great results.”

Could you give us some concrete examples of where to invest?
“In Varese, there’s a lot of private investment in aerospace research (Lombardy’s Aerospace District was presented just yesterday, ed.). If the country were able to support these industries with a public research centre, for innovative development and for new patents, we would give a great boost to the sector. If we consider this geographical area, we can also mention the “Donegani” Institute, in Novara, which is real centre of excellence in chemistry.”

Will investment in research bring a sure economic return?
“Not only. But I can say that without investing in research, there won’t be any economic return. Today, the Italian sectors of excellence are those of textiles, and of fashion, of the traditional sectors, which should be rightly promoted as Made in Italy. But this isn’t enough. If we don’t invest in research, our future won’t live up to our tradition. Studies have been done, it’s not just me saying this. Every euro invested in research gives a return of €3–€5. 

Has your proposal for the tax shield had any response from the government yet?
“There hasn’t been any formal response, but I’m sure that the message has been received. We now have to hope that it has some effect.”

It is often said that the problem with research is that it doesn’t lead to votes in elections …
“I have a little experience in politics, but, above all, I’m known by people as a science populariser. However, I know that people are paying a great deal of attention to these topics, not only to applied, but also to abstract research. If politicians found the right way to talk about research, then investments would also bring votes.”

At this point, given your claim about the Nobel Prize, we have to conclude the challenge. Which sectors are most likely candidates?
“Physics here is the strongest sector, and it mustn’t be seen as abstract. Consider the discovery of the laser; 50 years ago, the research that led to the Nobel Prize seemed incomprehensible. Today, nobody could live without this technology, because it’s been applied in CD players and in so many other instruments that we use every day.”