Representatives of the main political parties of the Catalan Parliament participated in the debate “Knowledge, universities, research and innovation”, promoted by the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP) and which took place on the Citadel Campus of the Pompeu Fabra University. The debate had as its common thread the Calonge Declaration, which the rectors and presidents of the social councils of the ACUP have made public this week, and which must be the roadmap for public universities to definitively consolidate themselves as engines of transformation , progress and well-being of the country.
The candidates have made it clear that they are aware of the critical moment in which Catalan universities find themselves, with staff of teaching and research staff (PDI) and technical, management, administration and services staff (PTGAS) in an extreme situation. It is a delicate moment, which makes it decisively difficult to implement the necessary transformations so that Catalan public universities continue to be at the European and global forefront. In this sense, both the PSC, ERC and JxC have recognized that “a shock plan is necessary” with respect to the templates. The acting counselor Joaquim Nadal (ERC) has added the commitment to achieve “a net contribution of resources from the Ministry” in order to adapt the templates to the Organic Law of the university system (LOSU).
On behalf of Junts per Catalunya, Antoni Castellà has opted for a “knowledge revolution”, in which “beyond a government department, the reinforcement of university policy implies true autonomy, financing and stability.” This objective links with the claim of Catalan universities to achieve baseline and recurring public financing of €1,400 M in 2025, and to reach 1% of Catalonia’s GDP in public investment in universities in 2030. «The rectors “They are right in their demand for the 1.4 billion budget,” Nadal admitted, adding that “compared to Health or Education, a small increase in funding would be extraordinary for the university.” For socialist Alicia Romero, an ambitious university policy is necessary: ??”if knowledge and talent really are what move the world, we have to be able to generate the best talent, and universities will do so if we provide them with resources.”
The university system surely represents the public policy with a greater return to society in relation to the investment it receives. In this sense, research is a good example. “We have a university system with all the universities oriented towards research and with a very powerful talent recruitment pole,” stated Castellà, who has defended that this is the model that makes the Catalan university system unique and, therefore, there is to enhance research. Nadal and Romero agree, although with nuances. For the counselor, “the Catalan research system is of excellence” and will be so as long as the research carried out in the universities is not separated from the unique research of the CERCA centers. Romero, even more forceful, considers that the resources available to Catalan universities for research “are few” and should be reinforced.
