Axes: erosion of commitment to organisational culture, attractive environment for top people.

Career accelerator for overachieving opportunists, to do high profile research without threatening the status quo.

Particle Accelerator is a waystation that spins academic careers into orbit. The place is teeming with students and staff eager to assist the researchers in their work, providing for cheap (or even free) labour. Motivated young people work at all hours under ruthless PIs advancing their research and publication results. Bibliometry scores are sky-high, turning the institute into a veritable (research) paper factory. The fields of inquiry are as numerous as the researchers themselves, making the institute's focus unclear, unstable and prone to fashions. Academic competition in- and outside of the organisation is fierce and encouraged. Working at the Accelerator guarantees individual professional advancement, provided that researchers do not let themselves get distracted (with life). Many of the researchers suffer from a a Postdoc Syndrome and various levels of short-termism, individualism and self-centredness, however the high speed and high profile environment they work in doesn't allow any of these issues to incidentally slip into their awareness. The financial and academic opportunities abound and there is no time (and no point) to stop and reflect on the bigger picture. Even though people are extremely keen to work at the Accelerator and attach their names to its brand, they know it will be just for a brief instance. They do not waste their time in attending social gatherings, research seminars and other team building activities that the staff and the management of the institute attempt to organise to increase commitment to the institute, the local community and culture. Over time, Accelerator's research becomes less and less involved in real life issues, increasing academic excellence, but without daring to question the academic, social, political or environmental status quo.

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