I+D in Spain

Diagnostic and avenues for improvement

Luis Santamaría

Spanish Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology

Objectives:

•Promote scientific quality and research excelence.

•Foster the increase in public and private investment in research, aiming at the levels of other Western countries.

•Oversee the legality of hiring practices and promotion procedures at Universities and research centres, following criteria of public diffusion, transparency, meritocracy and equal opportunity.

•Provide a link among researchers in Spain and abroad, facilitating the interchange of ideas and interdisciplinary research.

•Promote the access of scientific and technical knowledge to the general public.

Who we are?

The most interdisciplinary research association in Spain –

138 members, from all fields of knowledge, positions and sectors.

Other groupsAsociación Nacional de Investigadores Ramón y Cajal

(http://hobbes.fmc.uam.es/RYC/index.htm)

Federación de Jóvenes Investigadores – Precarios (http://www.precarios.org/)

General diagnostic of Spanish Research Policy

• Lack of a consistent research policy. Funding strategy contingent on economic context. Top management positions without research/technology experience.

• Lack of evaluation of research strategy or scientific quality for Universities and research institutes.

• No incentive for University research. University funding almost fully related to number of students.

Funding

• Among the lowest in the EU: ~1% of GDP, versus 1.9-3% for EU-USA-Japan.

• Large variation among regional governments: from 1.6% of GDP in Madrid to 0.28% in Balearic Islands.

• Increase in funding by 2005, but largely devoted to military innovation and credits to BES.

Funding

Spain 2004

Spain 2002

EU252001-2

USA2002

Japan 2002

Expenditure (%GDP)

1.07(+0.2

)

1.03 1.93 2.64 3.12

Funding by BES

49% 49% 55% 64% 74%

Expenditure by BES

54% 54% 65% 67% 74%

Regional distribution of I+D expenditure

%GDP

%G

DP

Resources devoted to I+D

% o

f to

tal

Private participation in I+D expenditure

Spain

8th world´s economy

But I+D expenditure (%GDP) ranks:

•14th of EU-25

•26th of OCDE

•32th of the world

8% of EU´s economy but only 1% of EU´s

patents

Estimated GDP for 2005 ($)

International patents (per million inhabitants)

Amount of professionals working in I+D: lowest in EU-15, together with Italy, Greece and

Portugal.

University

BESPublic centres

Proportion or researchers per sector (%o of working force).

Year 2001

Current government goals

• 2% GDP by 2010. 25% annual increase in public funding, including credits to BES.

• 55% of BES funding by 2010 .• Increased participation in EU Programs.• Funding large industrial research-lines.• Funding risk enterprises.• Increasing University-BES integration.• Consolidate leader groups & recover

experienced researchers.

Main problems

•Direct copy of EU´s priorities

•Gives up innovative research & young researchers´ talent!

Scientific Carriere

• Lack of a coherent and atractive research carriere.

• PhD researchers hired on grants, without basic worker’s rights.

• Long sequence of posdoctoral grants, including RyC and FIS contracts (initially conceived as tenure-tracks) without a clear prospect of permanent contracts.

Scientific Carriere / 2

• Cronyism in hiring practices, particularly severe at University positions. Hiring practices are neither based on candidates’ quality nor on the centres’ research strategy.

• Lack of follow-up evaluations of the scientific productivity and quality of permanent researchers (civil servants).

Research Projects

• Lack of transparency. Evaluations not sent to researchers. Peer review committees do not meet the standards of quality and conflict-of-interests.

• Arbitrary cuts of requested funding.• Unpredictable openings, short

deadlines, inadequate online facilities.• Lack of economic and scientific

evaluation at the end of projects.

Technological Development

• Lack of active technology transfer from public research centres to private companies.

• Need for small bussines innovation research programs, risk capital programs, etc.

• Lack of qualified managers for technology-based companies.

• Lack of control: public funding used for innovation rather than I+D.

Avenues of Action

1. Lobbying: media, complain letters, interviews, etc.

2. Policy analysis and support3. Observers of procedures & support

to legal actions4. Divulgation & public outreach:

journal (Apuntes de Ciencia y Tecnología), newspaper articles, white papers on key issues.

Effects on science policy?

Contributors to:• Ramon y Cajal & Juan de la Cierva

Programs• Code of conduct for hiring practices at

one University and CSIC• INGENIO Program (e.g. increased

funding & more independence of CSIC)• Spanish stem-cell research program• 2+2 years PhD grant+contract program