Potassium Research and Agricultural Production - The International ...

Research expenses are distributed among the certain sciences as follows:
- natural sciences
- medicine
- agricultural sciences
technical sciences
- social sciences
11.1%
4.5%
12.1%
65.1%
7.1%
These ratios can be considered to be rather steady by now. No essential changes arc
expected for the years to come.
Graduates directly involved in research work are rather high in number, compared to
the total number of inhabitants, i.e. 10.5 million. 29000 trained experts are working
at research. Which means that there are 28 research workers for every 10000 inhabitants.
This ratio corresponds to European level. Our next task is no more to increase
this number but to increase the absolute level of resources for one research worker,
which means a qualitative development.
The Perspective Plant for Science was an important link of Hungarian national
science policy. This plan was to run for 15 years (1971-1985), it is, however, being
extended up to 1990, due to the fact that perspective development plans for national
economy cover the period up to 1990. The perspective scientific research plan is also a
two-level plan. On the first level 17 big projects are given priority, which are of primary
importance for the development of sciences in Hungary, resp. for the solution of some
important practical problems. 11 out of the 17 are of practical character. Three of
them are meant to provide the scientific bases for the development of agricultural
production. They are as follows:
The development of meat production: The increase of soil productivity by developing
fundamentally new trends; The extension of the choice of foodstuffs, new trends of
their processing and preservation. There is also a project for environmental protection
on the first level. For 6 projects it would be difficult to fix short term goals, they are
nevertheless of great importance for natural sciences and social sciences, such as solid
state physics, controlling mechanism of biological processes, the development of
public administration, researches on education, etc.
On the second level priority projects generally do not surpass the scope of a branch of
economy, or a research network of an authority. Their numbers are changing since
tasks are completed and new ones designed. Their numbers are fluctuating between
150 and 160.
The perspective research plan is an elastic system. It needs revision at regular intervals,
at least every 5th year, to meet new requirements. About I!J of the total research
capacity is concentrated to projects on the first level, and Ifl to research tasks on the
second level. Ifl, however, is not committed to central projects, it is at the disposal of
the leaders of institutes and departments, they are free to decide the research tasks
they want to spend this 'free capacity' on.
Scientific research workers at the beginning of their careers are appointed for a fixed
term, for 5 years altogether. This term is meant to prove whether they are suited for
research work or not. After.5 years they may be appointed for a fixed term again, or for
life. Leaders (manager, deputy manager, department leader) are always appointed for
a fixed term, which can, however, be extended several times. 12.1% of Hungarian
research workers have different scientific degrees (equivalent to the Ph-degree or
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