Budget cuts and delays leave hundreds of Argentine postdocs in limbo

From ScienceMag:

Nearly 400 Argentine researchers have been left jobless and uncertain about their future in science after a delay in the process for securing permanent research positions in the country.

The postdoctoral fellows had applied for a permanent career track with the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina’s main science agency, expecting to hear back by the end of this year. But in April, CONICET announced the results would not be released until August 2027 because of a backlog of applications and cuts in the number of positions available. When the postdocs’ fellowships ended on 31 July, they were left without salaries and scrambling to find work.

The postdocs staged protests around the country on Wednesday, including in downtown Buenos Aires, where they wore Argentina’s national soccer jerseys. “We’re trying to make as much noise as possible,” says limnologist María Luz Padulles of the National University of Moreno. But some are considering moving out of research or seeking opportunities abroad instead. “I’d like leaving the country to be a choice, not an obligation,” says Pablo López, an astronomer at the National University of Córdoba (UNC).

The case is one of the most visible consequences of the budget cuts implemented by President Javier Milei’s government, which have caused the loss of thousands of jobs in the science sector. Public investment in science and technology is at its lowest level in 54 years.

In Argentina, a CONICET postdoc position is a 3-year fellowship that cannot be extended or repeated. For those reaching its end, the agency holds annual calls for permanent positions. But the number of positions on offer has dropped from 850 to 400, and in 2024 the call was suspended entirely, causing a backlog of applications that led CONICET to postpone this year’s decisions.

The affected postdocs have called on CONICET to extend their fellowships until the appointment process is complete. Five of the agency’s eight board members supported doing so, says Jorge Aliaga, a board member representing Argentina’s universities. But CONICET’s government-appointed head, Daniel Salamone, disagreed, Aliaga says: “If he is not convinced, the money is not there.”

In the meantime, many of the scientists are trying to stay within the scientific system as they wait to find out whether their application is successful. Elvira Casagranda, a biologist at the National University of Tucumán, managed to secure a 3-month “half fellowship” to collaborate on a project sustained through international funding. Although family reasons make her reluctant to leave Argentina, she is considering applying for a position in Brazil. “Every day I cry for a while,” Casagranda says.

Padulles was somewhat luckier: Her university took over her salary so her research on water quality in the Reconquista River Basin would not be interrupted. But one of her colleagues, also a postdoctoral fellow, accepted an offer to continue her career in Brazil. “She got tired of the way the scientific system treated her,” Padulles says. “I decided to stay and keep trying.” Others have taken up teaching positions or are considering doing so.

Argentina already has far fewer researchers per capita than the average for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, says Diego Hurtado, a senior CONICET researcher at the National University of San Martín. Milei’s policies are making the situation worse, he says. Since he came to power in 2023, more than 6400 jobs have been lost in the sector—including more than 2000 at CONICET—through layoffs, voluntary buyouts, and resignations. “The idea seems to be that the fiscal deficit can be solved by expelling scientists. It’s a bit absurd,” Hurtado says. This year’s government spending on science and technology is projected to fall to about 0.14% of gross domestic product, equivalent to roughly $1.2 billion—the lowest level in decades. “The destruction of Argentine science is being planned,” says Rocío Sánchez, a biologist at UNC and one of the researchers in limbo.

There is still some hope for Sánchez and his fellow postdocs: Congress is expected to vote on extra-budgetary allocations in October and could decide to extend the CONICET fellowships, Aliaga says, though such an outcome is far from certain. An extension would cost about $2 million. Compared with the agency’s $400 million annual budget, that’s a small price to pay, he adds: “From the country’s point of view, these are very valuable people.”

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