Argentina's scientists take to streets as Milei cuts gut research funding

Hundreds of scientists, researchers, and university workers converged on the Obelisk in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, voicing fury over President Javier Milei's sweeping budget cuts to Argentina's science and technology sector. The protest, mirrored by smaller rallies in cities across the country, came amid a deepening crisis that demonstrators say is dismantling the nation's research infrastructure.

Many in the crowd wore national soccer jerseys and carried banners declaring science a matter of national pride and sovereignty. One sign read: "Without science there is no future." Another targeted the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), reading: "No to the 400 layoffs in the CONICET."

Canela Pedreira, a PhD candidate in neuroscience, described the situation as dire. "The entire scientific system is being destroyed, and it's something that will take many years to rebuild," she said. "We are very sad, very distressed, very disappointed."

Protesters and trade union representatives pointed to a drop of more than 50% in real scientific funding since 2023, alongside severe wage losses. They also condemned the non-renewal of postdoctoral fellowships, which has effectively fired nearly 400 workers at CONICET.

Jazmín Ohanian, a social anthropologist and former CONICET postdoctoral fellow, said she was let go on July 31 along with all other postdoctoral researchers who had applied for career positions. "Currently, I am a former CONICET postdoctoral fellow seeking to have our jobs reinstated," she said.

University leaders warned of an accelerating brain drain. Valeria Levi, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, said the country is losing its youngest scientists. "They are being blocked from the possibility of becoming researchers in Argentina," she said. "Sometimes, salaries are below the poverty line. We have already lost nearly 10% of the teaching staff in our faculty."

Demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to the dismantling of key state bodies, including the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA), the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI), and the National Space Activities Commission (CONAE). Chants of "the motherland is not for sale" and "nobody is expendable here" rang out through the crowd, underscoring a sense of betrayal among those who see science as essential to Argentina's future.