Supercharts
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2002
- Messages
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Very interesting article today in the Boston Globe. If you wonder why France is behind the curve in being a leader in Science this article may be of interest. I doubt if the link below will last more than a few days.
"French seek to mend rift over Iraq with science
French eye research ties to US
By D.C. Denison, Globe Staff, 4/28/2003
"Some of the barriers are structural, however. A great deal of the scientific research in France takes place in public institutions, conducted by government employees. Large research bodies like CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and the Institut Pasteur account for 59 percent of all public research.
''It is not easy for researchers in France who are government employees to start new companies,'' said Roland Lomme, a French trade commissioner based in Boston. ''The US system, which is based at private universities, is more friendly to entrepreneurs.''
Cultural barriers are also significant, according to Jonathan Fleming, general partner at Boston-based Oxford Bioscience Partners, which funds technology companies in the United States, Europe, and Israel.
''Changes by the French government are unlikely to produce much in the way of results,'' he said. ''The model works in the US and Israel because you have a scientific and business establishment that promotes peer review and says it's culturally OK to be first and best.''
Technology funding decisions in France are often based on political connections and reputation, Fleming said, not ''flat-out, peer-reviewed best technology.
''The French may be rejecting American culture,'' Fleming continued, ''but a country needs that kind of ambition and sheer competitiveness to produce these entrepreneurial success stories.''
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/1...ek_to_mend_rift_over_Iraq_with_science+.shtml
"French seek to mend rift over Iraq with science
French eye research ties to US
By D.C. Denison, Globe Staff, 4/28/2003
"Some of the barriers are structural, however. A great deal of the scientific research in France takes place in public institutions, conducted by government employees. Large research bodies like CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and the Institut Pasteur account for 59 percent of all public research.
''It is not easy for researchers in France who are government employees to start new companies,'' said Roland Lomme, a French trade commissioner based in Boston. ''The US system, which is based at private universities, is more friendly to entrepreneurs.''
Cultural barriers are also significant, according to Jonathan Fleming, general partner at Boston-based Oxford Bioscience Partners, which funds technology companies in the United States, Europe, and Israel.
''Changes by the French government are unlikely to produce much in the way of results,'' he said. ''The model works in the US and Israel because you have a scientific and business establishment that promotes peer review and says it's culturally OK to be first and best.''
Technology funding decisions in France are often based on political connections and reputation, Fleming said, not ''flat-out, peer-reviewed best technology.
''The French may be rejecting American culture,'' Fleming continued, ''but a country needs that kind of ambition and sheer competitiveness to produce these entrepreneurial success stories.''
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/1...ek_to_mend_rift_over_Iraq_with_science+.shtml
