A CLEAN SLATE. Italy's new science minister Fabio Mussi has begun his term by undoing some of his predecessor's actions. Mussi has shelved new criteria for academic assessment, guidelines for shaping curriculum and research priorities at universities, and plans for a private university.
Mussi intends to revise "unsatisfactory or erroneous" portions of these directives, he says, and has promised more funding for research and fresh measures to tackle controversial areas such as university appointments. His policies have been welcomed by university administrators.
Mussi has also withdrawn Italy from a six-nation declaration signed last year that opposes embryonic stem cell research. The move could allow such research to fit in the E.U.'s Framework VII program, currently under debate. Former minister and declaration architect Rocco Buttiglione has opposed Mussi's decision and threatened a vote to remove him from the new government of Romano Prodi.
CREDIT: PIER PAOLO CITO/AP
