Cynthia Busuttil
'Sterling research' may be lost without funding
Kenneth Camilleri. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
A University professor is calling for funding for post-doctoral posts in a bid to keep PhD graduates in Malta.
Kenneth Camilleri, from the Faculty of Engineering's Department of Systems and Control Engineering, said the lack of research posts for those who have just finished their doctorate meant recently graduated PhD students were leaving the island.
"There are several opportunities abroad but we want to keep our researchers in Malta to attract companies to the island," he said.
Prof. Camilleri said that while students could tap into funds to do Master's degrees and doctorates, there were no funds for post-doctoral posts: "We have a gap." This meant that rather than using their skills for research, newly-graduated researchers were either taking lecturing jobs or were employed as scientists or engineers, leaving them no time to do proper research.
"The country is losing what it invested in. These people need to be allowed to spend time in a laboratory and use the skills they have acquired while reading for their PhD to generate knowledge," he said.
Instead, he said, new PhD graduates were either putting their research skills away altogether or limping through them during their free time while holding down a full-time job.
"This is a waste of resources," he said, adding that post-doct-oral placements would give fresh graduates a three to four-year period to concentrate on research.
He said sterling research was being carried out at the University, which should continue after students graduated. A group of students is working on algorithms through which they analyse brain wave patterns by means of an EEG to distinguish brain diseases like Alzheimer's, epilepsy and Parkinson's. This may eventually allow them to predict the diseases in patients who are not yet showing the signs.
Students have also written a computer programme that can transform a two-dimensional sketch scribbled on a piece of paper into a three-dimensional image. This allows the user to get an idea of what the final product they are thinking about will look like when completed.
However, Prof. Camilleri fears all this work could be lost when the students graduated and moved on because they would have been unable to get funding to continue with their research.
"We have to create a local pool of researchers because only then can we attract international companies to set up in Malta," he said.
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11 Comments
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Marvin Bugeja
May 3rd 2010, 17:23
Well said Prof. Camilleri. In my opinion, research (and hence its funding) should not be regarded as a competitor of other national needs such as health, jobs etc. I see it more like another 'need' itself, that in parallel with the other needs will ultimately help us to improve our standard of living.
H Schembri
May 1st 2010, 18:00
The UoM can apply and network with other universities or research institutes to tap into direct EU funds namely FP7 (Seventh Framework Programme) which supports such institutions to develop innovative ideas in the field of research and development.
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html
Jesmond Micallef
May 1st 2010, 15:01
Research is a journey through knowledge. Indeed, the very human instinct to learn, discover and to innovate. There is indeed the applied and the pure side of research. It goes without saying that Malta will never build an equivalent to the Large Hadron Collider or maybe have its own version of MIT or the Lawrence Livermore Research Laboartories, but surely considering the highly competitive nature of the Maltese educational framework, I tend to subscribe to Professor Kenneth Camilleri's call here. With all its cons and pros, our educational system is indeed a very good one and people have left Malta in order to seek further opportunities abroad. There is a wealth of success stories which highlight this.
The human resource available through education in Malta has alot of potential and there should be available initiatives which offer alternatives to the local analytic and curious minds.
The software which converts a 2D to 3D image has reminded me of a product which Hewlet Packard had recently developed. A small desk top sized 3D Rapid Prototyping "printer" where 3D software imagery is actually converted into a solid object !!! Rapid Prototyping is pretty much standard in the product development stage.
malcolm seychell
May 1st 2010, 11:55
We are a socialist island, so eventually we will get unskilled people here, and make our best people leave politely
The mentality has to change from top
J.F. Vassallo Ebejer
May 1st 2010, 11:24
@ Anthony Gatt
I appreciate your concern for people who need help, especially the sick, the elderly, the poor etc, but who are not getting the support they need from Government.
The problem is not people like Profs Camilleri, and the support he is requesting – the problem is Government’s lack of focus and competence in setting priorities and managing funds.
It is in Malta’s own interest to ensure that Phds stay in Malta – because through them we can attract the knowledge-based industries/activities that we need if we want to move the economy forward and create high value jobs.
A Maltese Phd student who is forced to study abroad, at his own expense, will stay abroad because that is where the money is.
If however they are free to continue their studies here, then they will stay here (if necessary by signing legally-binding contracts with Govt), and thus help create wealth for our country.
If corruption is controlled, and the money saved is diverted to supporting Research, there will be more than enough funds to help hundreds of researchers!!
By the way, I not a Phd student, so I have no personal agenda in this.
Anthony Gatt
May 1st 2010, 12:24
with your own reasoning we must stop these grants to all the tertiary level students since THAT IS WERE THE MONEY IS. Your comment does not hold water. You are agreeing with me that it is in their own interest to continue to study for higher certification. and I agree with you. But the Government (THE PEOPLE) cannot be everything to everyone. From where the doctor cuts, blood will run. And malta cannot support all its citizens' demands. I will agree with you that money used for illegal immigrants can be channelled to R&I. I agree that money channeled to NGOs should be channelled to R&I or Health. I also agree that money given to University and tertiary level students can be channelled to other important sectors in our society. I believe that it will be the university students themselves who will tell me to get lost with R&I. Because all they want is our money to entertain themselves.
Anthony Gatt
May 1st 2010, 10:45
we can make do without Ph.D.s but Malta needs the money for our sick people. Putting public money to poeple studying for their PH.D. is just enhancing a personal ego. Putting money where it truly is needed, in Health, and social security is an investment in all the citizens. This is just like those who want a ground to practice a newly found sport when Malta is full up with grounds of all sorts. and this all out of public funds. we cannot go on like this. If someone wants to read a PH.D. in something, he has to do it from his own funds, since it concerns only himself and his ego. While I hear a man crying because the state cannot afford to give him a much needed medicine for free. Such arrogance from those who have a mind of their own should stop. Malta has already did much for those who want to study at tertiary levels and even post graduate studies. Now it's they who should bear the expense for continuing their studies in PH.D. or similar.
Benjamin Pule'
May 1st 2010, 16:40
You really have a serious problem in your priority list! As a current University student, I beg you to zip it because you don't know what we're talking about here...
What Prof Camilleri stated above is all true and if we want this country to be a centre of excellence, that is the way forward. No one said cutting expenditure from health or social security niches as far as I know - we just need to invest/give more importance to research and top quality education.
Joe micallef
May 1st 2010, 19:47
You got it all wrong! Your reasoning is out of point and out of context.
Do you realise that such a problem is leading to a big brain and skill drain where the most intelligent persons are leaving the island for new opportunities that cannot be offered here due to the lack of investment? Do you realise that PhD students contribute to new knowledge that can lead to a more competitiveness?
Joseph N. Grima
May 1st 2010, 10:25
The problem that is being highlighted by Professor Camilleri needs to be urgently address if we really believe in Malta's R&I potential. Whilst many assume that Malta's main limitation is lack of equipment, people working in this field know very well that our biggest problem is lack of researchers. It is simply unsustainable (not to say madness) for us to invest in training new researchers and then we loose them to our overseas COMPETITORS once they get their PhD. A post-doctoral fund to keep our PhDs in Malta needs to be set up asap or else we will face an even bigger and more problematic 'brain drain' than that which we normally associate with the medical profession.
E.Muscat
May 1st 2010, 10:21
I am all for research and development but profs.camilleri should tell us first what engineering research is being carried out to help the economy of this island such as:
1) what are our solar energy projects at the university?
2) How heavy fuel oil ash can be safely utilized in Malta?
3) Who is designing a minimum energy house at the university,architecturely?
4) What about an electric power shedding plan for the island when some boiler or generator fails?
Is it just protecting one's turf or money invested in no apparent outcome that is the objective?
We have to move away from studying areas for their own sake or for the egoistic interest of some specialist.