Zammit Dimech appeals to government to issue post-doctoral grants and increase funding for research

“Over the past 5 years, 200 students obtained a PhD from the University of Malta. However what are we doing to give these researchers the opportunity to delve further into their research?” MEP Francis Zammit Dimech made these questions after being approached by several students and academics on the lack of opportunities for PhD graduates to further their research.

The last call for post-doc grants was issued back in 2015. No other similar calls for post-doc researchers have been issued since then. Post-doc grants target high profile researchers and encourage research in strategic fields necessary for the country. The availability of post-docs is thus of a national interest. Zammit Dimech recalled how the European Parliament had voted to increase the EU budget for research. He explained that it was now also the government’s responsibility not only to support the budget, but also to ensure uptake of the funds for research. Zammit Dimech added that more investment in research was needed for the EU to remain competitive with other developed economies.

Zammit Dimech appealed to the government to increase spending on research. According to ‘Key figures on Europe 2018’ published by Eurostat, Malta lies fourth from last when it comes to spending on research and development. In fact, figures show that Malta spent 0.61% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), way below EU average, which is equivalent to 2.03% of the GDP. This spending has been incurred mostly by business enterprise. Zammit Dimech has recently visited a number of research centres, including the University of Malta, whereby scientists conducting research on cancer shared their challenges in obtaining funding to buy instruments necessary for their research. R&D and innovation play a vital role in providing scientific and technical solutions to meet societal challenges. Zammit Dimech thanked several companies and voluntary organisations that were supporting research projects. He also remarked that government had to support and incentivise the private sector to invest in R&D to help them overcome risks of the investment and help them innovate to meet market demands. In this regard, Zammit Dimech, a former Tourism Minister, called for investment in R&D in the tourism sector which was facing challenges such as climate change and over tourism.

“Joseph Muscat had promised us to make Malta the best in Europe. One certainly cannot say so when it comes to research. The government has no excuses, and after 5 years in government, one would have expected government to give this sector due importance.” Zammit Dimech reiterated how the Nationalist opposition had already outlined the lack of importance given by the government to research in the latest budget debate.

“The future of our economy will depend on innovation and the skills of our people. Hence we have no option but to invest more in research and to give the opportunity to our researchers, including those in the various educational and research institution such as MCAST and the University of Malta, to grow and expand,” concluded Zammit Dimech.