As the incoming deputy minister of development and investments responsible for research in Greece, I find your Editorial upholding the previous government’s research reforms blatantly one-sided (Nature 572, 153; 2019). And I am surprised that it fails to report accurate information about my academic and professional track record (see go.nature.com/2ttfyq).

You suggest that “researchers are right to be concerned” about the new administration. In fact, their overall response is one of relief at the appointment of this government and the opportunity for change. They are concerned that Greece currently ranks 18th out of the 28 EU member states in terms of its R&D intensity indicator (go.nature.com/33vtqb) and 20th on the European Innovation Scoreboard (go.nature.com/33wddt); the Global Competitiveness Index 2017–2018 ranks it 129th out of 137 countries for university–industry collaboration in R&D and 131st for government procurement of advanced technology products (go.nature.com/2txrjy).

The country’s complex bureaucratic system for research programmes is widely held responsible for these dismal rankings. Costas Fotakis, the previous minister of research, contributed substantially to this bureaucracy. In January this year, for example, his government introduced a law obliging researchers to submit detailed budgets up to a year in advance. This is counter-productive in research, where decisions are results-driven and flexibility in planning is crucial. Institutions must now employ more administrative staff to manage the extra bureaucracy — hardly an enticement for Greek scientists to repatriate.

It is a top priority for the new government to improve research and innovation in Greece. We have already outlined our realistic but ambitious agenda (see go.nature.com/2twensm).