Sir

Your editorial “A stain on Italian reforms” (Nature 414, 133; 2001) seems inspired by prejudice about some specific appointments made by the Italian National Research Council (CNR), rather than by the wish to understand the real basis of the decisions.

It is not true, as your article states, that the final decision on the appointment of institute directors is taken by the president. In fact, a board is in charge of each appointment; each member of the board votes for one of the candidates on a shortlist drawn up by a commission of peers on the basis of scientific achievement and managerial experience. The majority vote (where the president's vote counts for one) determines the choice.

In choosing new directors, the board has always taken into account the ability of the candidate to manage the transition from the old structure to the new one, which requires skills in reduction and consolidation of the institutes as well as integration between different projects. Hence, our preferred candidates have excellent managerial experience and other personal characteristics, as well as distinguished scientific rank.

Finally, I fail to understand your statement that some choices derived from trading votes for favours among the members of the board. The great majority of the decisions were taken by consensus.