Contrary to expectations, the Italian government's 2000 Finance Act, approved by Parliament in November, seems to have broken earlier promises to increase the country's biomedical research budget by 30% and to develop a sound national science policy. No extra money has been set apart for boosting the IL500 billion ($270 million) biomedical research budget.

Instead, the Italian parliament has passed yet another a decree, according to which a one-year overall sum of only IL11.4 billion—representing the remains of the 1998 State budget—will support four national strategic research projects in the areas of oncology, neuroscience, genetics and biotechnology.

Turin University's PierGiorgio Strata, who co-ordinates the strategic project in neuroscience, claims “Italian scientists feel betrayed, because the government still ignores the need to raise research spending from its current level of 1.2% of gross domestic product towards a value comparable to that of its European partners.” Glauco Tocchini-Valentini, from the National Research Council (CNR), coordinator of the strategic project on genetics, adds “to implement an internationally competitive project we would need IL100 billion yearly instead of the IL2.5 billion established by the decree in the field of genetics.”

The lack of any commitment to shake up the biomedical public portfolio in the new year is casting gloom over the reform efforts recently undertaken by the government (Nature Med. 5, 132; 1999). Strata echoes the fears of many, saying “[the lack of financial backing causes us to] doubt whether the drastic transfer of power for planning research from the CNR to the government is a serious step towards the development of a strong national science policy.”