Science under threat: Researchers in Venezuela fear for their future

Science under threat: Researchers in Venezuela fear for their future

President Nicolás Maduro continues his offensive against the political opposition as more researchers in Venezuela consider leaving the country. Since the National Electoral Commission declared him the winner of the disputed presidential election in July, his government has arrested more than 1,600 people, including students and professors, according to the Caracas-based human rights group Foro Penal. Edmundo González, who ran against Maduro in the election, fled to Spain on September 8 to avoid arrest.

Scientists, some of whom spoke to Nature on condition of anonymity because they fear government retaliation, report that research in Venezuela already censored and underfunded, and they expect the situation to continue to deteriorate. They point to a recent law enacted by Maduro's government that regulates the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that some researchers rely on for funding or to publish their research. This latest chapter in Maduro's rule could spell the end of independent science in the country, they say.

“I'm afraid to talk to you,” retired biologist Jaime Requena told Nature as he nervously prepared to leave the country, fearing authorities would confiscate his passport to prevent his departure. “Science here is quickly going down the drain.”

The Maduro government did not respond to a request for comment.

The Ministry of People Power for Science and Technology in Venezuela reports that about 24,000 people are employed in research and development. However, this number is exaggerated because it includes all people who have degrees and the staff who clean and maintain laboratories, says Requena, which monitors the number of scientists in the country. In 2004, when science in Venezuela was more stable, only about 7,100 scientists were actively involved in research, says Requena, who is a member of the Venezuelan Academy of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

Since the Ministry of Science no longer publishes clear, reliable information about its spending, Requena evaluates research output in scientific journals as an indicator of the health of Venezuelan science. An as-yet-unpublished analysis he conducted last year suggests that there are now a maximum of 1,200 active scientists.

Outbreaking churn

Protests broke out after Maduro was declared winner of the presidential election in July. The European Union, the United States and most South American countries have questioned the legitimacy of the result and demanded that Maduro release a full vote count.

The Venezuelan economy has been in crisis since Maduro took office in 2013. Gross domestic product fell from about $373 billion in 2012 to about $44 billion in 2020 and has now recovered slightly to $106 billion. National science funding is around 0.3-0.4% of this (the average for OECD countries is 2.7%). Nearly 8 million people - about a quarter of Venezuela's population - are estimated to have left the country to escape violence, hunger and poverty.

Young scientists are leaving the country en masse in search of high-quality education or stable career prospects. Those who remain are largely older researchers – Requena's research suggests the average age is 55 – who are financially stable or can use international connections to obtain funding.

But even experienced researchers have left the country. María Eugenia Grillet, a 64-year-old biologist who studies the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases, moved to Colombia in December 2023 to avoid power outages and be able to freely conduct research, among other things. She was previously a researcher at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, where she earned $70 per month. “Daily life is very hard for everyone, and it will get worse given the political situation,” she says.

In severe deficiency

Public research institutions and universities, which employ most of Venezuela's remaining scientists, are struggling to keep their doors open due to a lack of government revenue and politically appointed officials mismanaging education and science budgets, researchers say. Equipment, materials and personnel are in short supply.

“It's not just the funding,” says Cristina Burelli, the director of SOSOrinoco, an advocacy group in Caracas that works with researchers who anonymously document the ecological degradation of the country's forests. “It’s the de-institutionalization and de-professionalism of the industry,” she adds. “It’s a deliberate attempt to take out anyone who knows something, anyone who can question the government.”

Academic freedom in the country began under Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez, whose government, in the name of 21st century socialism, took control of funding previously given directly to researchers from private companies. Chávez also gave “community councils” – groups of citizens – the power to set university budgets and elect university vice-chancellors.

A scary law

Today, people are working to investigate issues that could potentially pose a publicity problem for Venezuela, such as the resurgence of once-eradicated diseases or pollution in the Amazon rainforest illegal mining activities – anonymously or from another country where they are beyond the reach of the government, or they censor what they publish.

Researchers are concerned about the entry into force of a law described by human rights groups as an anti-NGO law. This law, passed on August 15, requires NGOs to share information about their funding, which is sometimes used to fund research projects, with the Venezuelan government. The law aims to ensure that civil society groups “do not promote fascism, intolerance or hatred on racial, ethnic, religious, political, social, ideological or gender grounds”.

Researchers who spoke to Nature say the law gives the government discretion to take action against anyone whose motives it disagrees with. “Academics at [leading universities] are absolutely terrified of the anti-NGO law and have therefore been silenced,” a group of Venezuelan researchers said in a statement after requesting anonymity.

Requena says science in Venezuela is one step closer to death. “Science ensures that we are not isolated, that our minds can come together to produce things that help all of humanity,” he says. “There is a feeling of being part of humanity, and I can’t imagine not being part of humanity.”