INSTITUTE 'RUDJER BOSKOVIC' CELEBRATES ITS DAY

ZAGREB, 20 Sept (Hina) - The Institute 'Rudjer Boskovic', Croatia's largest scientific institution, on Friday celebrated its day. The Institute was established in 1950 as a scientific institution with four departments: for theoretical, molecular and nuclear physics and for electronics. The Institute was founded as part of the then Yugoslav Academy of Arts and Sciences. In October 1951, the Institute was given the name of the renown Croatian scientist Rudjer Boskovic. Today, the Institute is a multidisciplinary institution which has 750 employees, 500 of them scientists, of whom 300 have doctor's degrees and 100 are postgraduates preparing for scientific career. Their scientific production amounts to 40% of the overall scientific production in Croatia. The Institute is based in Zagreb and its part involved in sea studies is based in Rovinj (Istria, northern Adriatic). At a press conference held on Friday on the occasion of the day of the Institute, the Institute's representatives said they hoped that 'Rudjer Boskovic' would soon become part of Zagreb University again. Speaking about the difficult position of science and art in modern world, the Institute's head Nikola Zovko warned of the world trend of transferring the financing of fundamental research into private sectors. That trend is extremely dangerous for basic scientific research whose primary content is not and cannot be market orientation, Zovko said. (hina) rm 201202 MET sep 97