Transcript I+D in Spain - Sauvons la recherche

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 groups
Asociación 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
EU25
2001-2
USA
2002
Japan
2002
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%
Expenditure
(%GDP)
Regional distribution of I+D
expenditure
%GDP
%GDP
Resources devoted to I+D
% of total
Private participation in I+D expenditure
Estimated GDP for 2005 ($)
Spain
8th world´s economy
But I+D expenditure
(%GDP) ranks:
•14th of EU-25
International patents
(per million inhabitants)
•26th of OCDE
•32th of the world
8% of EU´s economy but
only 1% of EU´s patents
Proportion or researchers per sector
(%o of working force).
Year 2001
BES
Public centres
University
Amount of professionals working in I+D: lowest in
EU-15, together with Italy, Greece and Portugal.
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 support
3. Observers of procedures & support to
legal actions
4. 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