The PCP parliamentary group questioned the Government about the funding cuts to which the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMar), associated with the University of Algarve, has been subject since 2011, «although this Center has obtained an excellent rating in successive evaluations carried out by the Foundation for Science and Technology», responsible for allocating funds for research.
The PCP wants to know “if the Government is available to review the CCMAR funding for 2013 and 2014, restoring it to the 2011 level and thus creating the conditions for this research unit to continue to develop a research activity and training of excellence”.
«With the new financing model, CCMar started to receive only 50 euros for current expenses, in other words, about a tenth of the amount allocated until 2011 for this purpose.
This level of funding, manifestly insufficient, puts the CCMar in a very difficult situation, compromising its capacity to develop research and training activities», considered the communists in a press release.
Until 2011, the funding model used was multiannual, «which, depending on the results of a periodic assessment, determined the volume of basic funding to be allocated to associated laboratories and R&D units».
“Under this funding model, the CCMar hired several researchers and technicians, receiving an annual sum to pay the salaries of these researchers and technicians, in addition to an amount in the order of 450 thousand euros for current expenses”, recalled the PCP parliamentarians.
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