For overseas cases, scientists make recommendations to the government. Academic institutions around the world

For overseas cases, scientists make recommendations to the government Academic institutions around the world are on October 29, 19:40

Similar to the Science Council of Japan, there are academic institutions around the world where scientists make recommendations to the government, and many are operated as institutions that value independence from the government.

America

The National Academy of Sciences, an American academic institution, was established in 1863 during the Civil War as an organization that provides professional advice on science and technology to the government and others by signing the law by then-President Lincoln. It was.

A non-profit organization independent of the government, requested by the federal government and parliament, it is now working with similar organizations, the American Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Medicine, on a wide range of science and technology policy issues in 2019. More than 7,000 member scientists and technicians work together unpaid to make hundreds of policy recommendations and advice annually.

The specialties of the members to which they belong include social sciences centered on natural sciences and engineering, and of the approximately 2,900 members, approximately 190 are Nobel laureates.

When selecting a new member, the selection will proceed based on the recommendation of the member who is enrolled, and the final decision will be made by a vote of the members at the general meeting held in April every year.

The financial resources are subsidies, consideration paid when giving advice, and donations.According to the website, in 2018, the federal government combined the three academies totaled about 200 million dollars, and the Japanese yen was about 21 billion yen. We earn about 55 million dollars, or nearly 5.8 billion yen, from the private sector.

The National Academy of Sciences is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading academic institutions, with researchers from around the world competing to publish their research results and publishing the highly acclaimed scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

England

Britain has the "Royal Society", the most traditional academic institution in the world, and was established in 1660 with the approval of King Charles II of England.

In 1703, Newton, who discovered the law of universal gravitation, is chairman.

Although the name is "Royal" from the background of its establishment, it operates as a private non-governmental organization, and on the first page of the website, "We contribute to the development of science for humankind. It's an independent academy of science. "

Of the approximately 1,600 members, approximately 70 are Nobel laureates, who make policy proposals related to science and technology by receiving requests from the government and parliament, and by working on their own.

When selecting a new member, it is recommended by the two members who are enrolled, put on the candidate list, examined by research results and dissertations, and finally decided by the member's vote. is.

The financial resources are government subsidies, income from funds, and donations, and in 2018, we earned a total of £ 98.3 million annually, or about 13.4 billion yen.

Of this amount, government subsidies account for at least £ 47.1 million, or more than 6.4 billion yen.

Germany

In Germany, the "National Academy of Sciences" called "Leopoldina" was established in 1652 and publishes the oldest scientific journal in the world.

Initially, it was born grassroots for the purpose of improving the health status of urban residents, and is now a "non-profit organization", but Nagano of the Research and Development Strategy Center of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, which is familiar with the trends of overseas academic institutions. According to Hiroshi Specially Appointed Fellow, when applied to Japan, it is operated independently of the government in the form of a "public interest corporation".

In 2008, it was designated as a national academy representing the country, and one of its missions is to propose information from a scientific point of view, which is the basis of policy decisions, to parliaments and central ministries and agencies.

In the past, the focus was on mathematics, engineering, and medicine, but since the unification of East and West Germany in 1990, departments such as the humanities and social sciences have been established, and now more than 1,500 people belong to them.

When selecting a new member, the candidate is selected by the recommendation of three or more members or by the nomination of the selection committee, and then decided by voting by the members.

The financial scale is about 10 million euros a year, about 1.2 billion yen in Japanese yen, the entire amount is spent by the government, 90% by the federal government and 10% by the state government.

China

In China, the "Chinese Academy of Sciences" was established in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded.

It is not an institution independent of the government, but a direct institution of the State Council, which is the cabinet of Japan, and the website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences states that the mission of the organization is to "advance science, advance with the country, prosper the country, and people. To make you happy. "

According to Yukihide Hayashi, president of the Life Science Promotion Foundation, who is familiar with China's science and technology policy, the annual budget of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is about 1 trillion yen in Japanese yen, but there are many research institutes and universities under its umbrella, and the budget Most of it is research funding.

At the same time, it also functions as an academic institution that recognizes researchers who have made outstanding achievements, and the members are appointed by the government and are lifelong.

Ensuring independence even with government subsidies

The Science Council of Japan has been established as a government agency and is fully covered by national funds, but the law stipulates that it perform its duties independently.

The annual budget is about 1 billion yen, which is significantly smaller than that of Western academic institutions.

According to Nagano Specially Appointed Fellow, most academic institutions in developed countries such as Europe and the United States are private organizations, and it is rare for them to take the form of government agencies like the Science Council of Japan.

Even in Europe and the United States, most organizations are subsidized by the government, and although there is a difference in the share of the budget of academic societies, independence is ensured.

For example, the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering, the world's oldest academic institution in the field of engineering, established in 1919, has an annual budget of about 12 million dollars and nearly 1.3 billion yen in Japanese yen, most of which comes from private companies. It means that the direct subsidy from the government is less than 10%.

In response to an interview with a specially appointed fellow Nagano, the vice president of the academy explained, "Because we are not financially dependent on the government, we can express our opinions from an independent standpoint."

On the other hand, in the case of the "French Engineering Academy", in principle, the government bears the basic expenses, and the government bears 90% of general activity expenses such as personnel expenses for staff.

According to Nagano Specially Appointed Fellow, the person in charge said, "The government does not intervene even if it gives funds, so it can operate independently. When it receives funds from industry, it seems that it depends on a specific industry. It means that he explained.

How to appoint members

In addition, the Science Council of Japan has 210 members and about 2000 collaborative members, and the term of office is 6 years, and half of the members change every 3 years, while each country adopts a lifetime system. Most of them are there.

When appointing a new member, it is often the case that the member selects a candidate based on the member's recommendation and then the member decides by voting.

How activities should be

Furthermore, Western academic institutions make proposals to the parliament while having a relationship, such as working on them and receiving requests, but in the case of the Japanese Academy of Sciences, the law stipulates that "the Prime Minister's Since it is a government agency with "jurisdiction", it has little relation to the Diet and points out that "politicians are not in a system to listen widely to the opinions of scientists."

In Europe and the United States, there are many cases where members of academic institutions make efforts to build personal connections by visiting members of the Diet on a regular basis and talking about policies.

Nagano, a specially appointed fellow, said, "In developed countries, as science rises in society, academic societies are spontaneously formed and exist as an organization independent of the government. Although there are differences in form, the independence of management of the Japan Academy of Sciences should be guaranteed based on the "Japan Society of Science Law", and the government needs to explain why it did not appoint candidate members. " I'm talking to you.

On top of that, "The method of selecting members and the way of thinking about the distance from politics vary depending on the country and organization, and we have created a system that suits each country. The method of operating the Science Council of Japan emerges as a kind of" wisdom ". I think it was done. If you want to change it, you have to discuss and decide the system that suits Japan. "