Darwin Needs A Make-Over: Budget Cuts at Leiden University
(PhysOrg.com) -- A decision by the Dutch government to introduce "competitiveness" into the criteria for funding university research has in effect obliterated Leiden University's department of evolutionary biology. Ironically, February 12th marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Robert Darwin's birth. He laid the ground work for the study of evolutionary biology in his work, "On the Origin of the Species." Natural selection takes on many forms in the 21st century. Placing a monetary value on worthy scientific work and the race for scarce funding sources creates an artificial selection with significant implications for all species. Boards, committees and other agencies of government decide on a daily basis the funding worthiness of the species. The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research's (NWO) competitiveness criteria is no different than its counterparts around the world.