The President, Ángel J. Gómez-Montoro, and Felipe Pétriz, during the session with deans and heads of research of campus. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

Felipe Pétriz, Secretary of State for research, stated at the University of Navarra that the Ministry of Science and Innovation 's budget has decreased by 0.77% compared to 2010, a lower figure than that of other portfolios. "If we also take into account that the salaries of the people working in the Ministry have fallen by 5%, it can be said that the resources available for research have increased slightly," he added.

Felipe Pétriz, who held a session with the deans and heads of research of campus Pamplona, stressed that in times of crisis, "when you cannot spend more, you must improve the efficiency of investment". Thus, he proposed two ideas that are at the base of the new Spanish Science and Technology Strategy: coordination and specialization. "We start from a system of systems, which requires planning and coordination between the different agencies and the different autonomous communities to get the most out of it. In addition, we must recognize where we stand out for the capabilities we have and develop them," he said.

State Agency of research: independence and agility

With respect to the State Agency of research, whose creation date will not be specified until the approval of the new Science Law, Felipe Pétriz recognized it as "a necessary instrument" and stressed that "it will allow greater independence, agility and efficiency in the use of resources, and will also reduce the bureaucratic burden on researchers. This is endorsed by the European scientific systems that we are taking as reference letter".

The Secretary of State for research also referred to the Severo Ochoa Program, which will reward the excellence of a maximum of 40 Spanish centers in four calls. These will start with 10 million euros and will award one million per year for five years. "The idea is not to look for the best centers in the country, but those that have an international level. It is a way of gaining value to attract scientists from all over the world," he pointed out.

Finally, Pétriz emphasized that the new Science Law will promote the partnership between public and private organizations: "It contemplates very well and in a novel way the mobility between research institutions and universities through stays, agreements... The idea is to facilitate dynamism regardless of the ownership of the centers".