Chamber of Commerce: Private Research Institutions Should Be Financed Under Same Bases As Public Research Institutions

The Parliament is discussing the draft Research and Development Activities and Innovation Organisation Act according to which private and public research and development institutions will be financed under different financing principles. In its letter sent to the Parliament, the Chamber stated that we are categorically against this plan and proposed that all research institutions be treated equally in terms of financing, irrespective of the form of ownership.  

Private law research institutions should also be financed by the state 
Since the development of the draft act, the Chamber has supported the solution according to which state financing is ensured for all research and development institutions that have received a positive evaluation and who perform public tasks, irrespective of their form of ownership. Unfortunately, the opinion of the Chamber or other private law research and development institutions has not been taken into account. 

“Private research and development institutions provide jobs and training for top specialists and create significant value for the society at large,” emphasises the Director General of the Chamber Mait Palts. “Therefore, private research and development activities are as necessary for the state as research and development funded fully by the state,” he added. 
“Taking a look at the draft act, the private research and development institutions cannot be sure if they can afford continuing their activities as they have done so far, because the state has suddenly and without good reason started to differentiate the research and development institutions based on their legal form. Furthermore, the contents of the current draft act are in contradiction with the principles arising from the Constitution, such as the principle of equality and the principle of legitimate expectations,” Palts criticises the draft act discussed in the Parliament.

The Chamber made a proposal to the Parliament to suspend processing of the draft act so that the parties could hold negotiations and through these negotiations best solutions for the financing questions would be reached. If the Parliament does not consider suspending the processing of the draft act necessary, the draft act should be amended in the way that the private research and development institutions could continue to be financed by the state even if they do not perform the tasks related to public interests.