A bit about the blogger
Hi, my name is Massimo and I am a former physicist who has gradually migrated to cell biology and, more recently, has made his very first steps in the realm of molecular biology.
My field of expertise is Radiation Biology, a fundamental discipline at the service of Radiation Protection and Radiation Therapy of Cancer.
Having been working in Science for 7 years outside of Italy (4 years in the London area at the Gray Cancer Institute and 3 years in the New Jersey / New York City area at the New Jersey Medical School) and having only recently come back to Italy to try and establish my scientific independence, I think I can see the problems that my country has – as far as its scientific scenario is concerned – with a privileged perspective.
Rationale for this blog
I wanted to create this blog to inform my fellow foreign researchers about what goes on in this country, which, after all, is very beautiful indeed. Among other things, I feel an urge for keeping my readers informed about opportunities for a scientific career in Italy. Italian research may only benefit from an injection of foreign minds in its home labs.
A concise view of the Italian Research scenario for young scientists
Many would thrive at the idea of working and living in Italy. This is very understandable if you are devoted to the Arts, since Italy is custodian to a truly impressive artistic heritage. Yet, If you have a passion for science and scientific research, you may find working in Italy a serious struggle. Italy is infamous for very little public expenditure in scientific research and for a severely grid-locked career ladder. Scientific independence is mostly a mirage for the young would-be scientists, who often have no choice but to serve in labs and participate in experiments designed by much more senior members, whose budget may have been approved without the serious scrutiny of a well-established peer-review system. After years of obedient service and staying “in line”, young scientists may eventually land a secure job and, depending on who is their boss, gain some scientific independence. This condition often presents to them when they have turned 40 and have no more eureka ideas to bring forward, both for themselves and for the younger scientists that they should be mentoring.
Among a sea of non-meritocracy, however, there lie some outstanding exceptions. If you are lucky to find a supervisor with a broad mind and, possibly, who has the added advantage of having trained outside of the country for some time, you can get the best of your research experience even in Italy. And, of course, you will have the extra bonus of good food, lifestyle, and a truly beautiful country, too. Centers of scientific excellence are emerging across the country, notably, but not only, in the north and north-east, that go beyond the problems of public funding and what comes with it.
New initiatives are beginning to take off to bring some meritocracy home, and foster young scientists independence by promoting transparency of evaluation of project proposals, which will be taken care of by international peers that are outside of the local grid-locked system and its strong political network. A new funding call is due in the next very few days and I will surely keep you up to date with that.
Also, even the State-supported research scenario of Universities and National Labs will undergo a major turnover of staff, as a wave of retirement will strike in the next 5 years. Just possibly, Italy may now have its chances to grow toward becoming a country of scientific excellence, and with the doors to meritocracy hinting on opening, foreign-born scientists may find Italy an ideal place where to flourish.
I plugged “Bel Paese” into Babel Fish, and it spat out “Beautiful Country”!
It would be absolutely fantastic if beautiful countries like Italy and South Africa (where I am from) were also good places for research scientists to find jobs, and hopefully the future is bright for both.
Look forward to hearing some positive stuff. Perhaps I should try to find out more about what is going on in SA as well…
I really welcome your initiative Max. As you know, I am researching in Australia, but am dreaming to come back when conservation biology will be as funded as other discipline in Italy. Let us know good news as for this!
Nice post Max and as you know I share your frustration and disappointment for the Italian research situation. However, I like to play the devil’s advocate and here is a provocative comment.
I think we can all agree that the current research situation in Italy does not offer satisfactory opportunities for young scientists to develop their career forcing most of them to go abroad and the few who stay to wait “in line”. However, it is also worldwide accepted (just have a peek at the winners for young research positions in the most accredited research institution around the world) that young Italian scientist (who have studied in Italy) excel in almost all scientific fields. This could indicate that the Italian system while terrible in offering career prospective is very good in providing excellent teachers. Are we sure that by changing the Italian research situation this will not have an impact on the level of science teaching? And do we really want to have all countries on the same level or is it not better to have one country who produce excellent students/teachers and an other who offer great career opportunities?
Thanks for all the comments to the very first entry of my new blog on Nature Network.
Giuseppe, I want to add a note to the provocative (but very welcome) comment that you have made. Indeed, Italians abroad are highly competitive and they are not any worse than other nationals. Yet, I doubt that those Italians who excel abroad have had all of their scientific training back in their homeland. Until a few years ago, the undergraduate education system in Italy was outstanding, setting the basis for an outstanding career. However, graduate schools back home were relatively mediocre and those outstanding Italians that you are referring to in your comment mastered the necessary skills for scientific excellence in foreign labs and universities. You are no exception!
The new Italian undergraduate education system, which was designed on the blueprint of many other European systems, is apparently not delivering the expected results. The new graduates are not as sharp as their older fellows who attended universities in the 90’s and before. Therefore, the situation is getting even worse! And these very chaps are going to be the teaching class of the future. Oh my…
Point taken Massimo, but isn’t exactly this the danger of following what you call “the blueprint of other European systems”? By changing to conform to the European/worldwide standard, Italy may well sort some of the career problems but it may also risk loosing the teaching excellence worldwide admired. And yes, it is true that many of the Italians who excel abroad have also learned their scientific skills in foreign labs but if they didn’t have the solid basis acquired in the homeland they would have never taken full benefit of those skills.
Having said that, you know that I also don’t like how things get done back home but I think that it is a quite complex issue and changes have to be made carefully to avoid loosing the few good things that work
Nice writing, Peppe. I think that the driving force behind the changes in the Italian undergraduate education system to conform to the European standard was two-fold. First, very simply, to conform with the education system within the EU, because Italy is an EU member. I think that the risk of sliding into a EU policy debate here is high and I will not try to make the first move.
A second reason, may be, is competition. Much that the Italian undergraduate education system was truly excellent, its graduates landed in the realm of post-graduate studies around age 23-25 , and I mean only the very best of them who had been fast to achieve their degrees. This is rather late, compared to EU average standards. I recall very distinctively starting my PhD at an age when UK-graduated PhD candidates were toward the end of their PhDs. Puzzling, since I completed my undergraduate studies with full scores and in “only” five years. It did not matter much that I felt like I knew better: somehow, I was 2 years behind. People used to ask: “What do you guys do in Italy to graduate so late?”. And if you step out of the Academic context for a moment, what was the purpose of graduating at 25-28 and start your first job experience then? That is an age you may want to start planning having a family, I argue.
Something had to be done, though I am not sure that what was done was the right thing.
My dear friends, since 52 years I am working as a researcher in the field of physical semeiotics and now my studies are appreciated…in foreign countries: I am often invited as peer-reviewer! Italy is not only “infamous for very little public expenditure in scientific research and for a severely grid-locked career ladder”. In fact, my italian colleagues of both Universities and NHS Autorithies of Governemet interfer, armed with the weapon of SILENCE, with spreading my scientific developpements appreciated by famous peer-reviews.All my statements, of course, can be undermined by documents! In my opinion, there is no ideal country for scientific research, and Italy isn’t certainly the best, even in the case of an “independent” researcher who never aimed at found, but exclusively to comunicate the data of his reseraches, that can be easily corroborated or falsified wit a simple stethoscope.