Japan Press Weekly

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2021 August 18 - 24 [POLITICS]

National research institutions’ unions resolve to push gov’t to increase budget for basic research

Unions of workers at national research institutions on August 21 held a virtual exchange meeting and resolved to push the government to increase the budget for research on infectious diseases and other basic research that benefit the general public.

Participants in the online meeting exchanged views on the issue of the government policy of cutting the workforce and budget of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. They also discussed the results of a questionnaire which was conducted in preparations for the meeting. In the survey, many respondents pointed out that since the government began reducing its subsidies for institutions’ operational costs and introduced a competitive research grant scheme, researchers’ priorities have been given to projects capable of producing results in a short period rather than on basic research.

The participants in conclusion agreed to press the government to increase funding for national research institutions and work to increase public awareness of their role.