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Just one year ago, on January 13, 2023, the Catalan Science Law came into force, approved shortly before by a large majority of the Parliament of Catalonia. The new standard conceives the Catalan model of research, development and innovation (R D i) as a tool to contribute to the well-being of people, the competitiveness of companies, the effectiveness of public institutions and sustainability. A law that places special emphasis on service to citizens, responding to major social challenges, promoting the transfer of knowledge and scientific dissemination and transparent and collaborative research.
The law has been completing its stages and being deployed in order to strengthen the country’s commitment to a society and economy based on the knowledge generated in Catalonia and to consolidate the country as a reference research center in southern Europe. A great challenge that also seeks to improve public and private financing of research and promote scientific patronage. “With the Catalan Science Law we position research, development and innovation as political, social and economic priorities of the country,” remarked the Minister of Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal i Farreras, when the Catalan chamber gave its approval. to the new norm.
Currently, the Catalan R D i system is already characterized by its excellence, leading, for example, in attracting competitive research funds: Catalan centers represent the fourth European institution in obtaining Horizon Europe funds from the EC and Catalonia with 1, 8% of the EU population has obtained 3.3% of science aid from the European Research Council. Also from our knowledge system, successful programs to attract scientific talent such as ICREA or the Industrial Doctorates are deployed, with a great multiplier effect in terms of employment and scientific impact.
In terms of governance, in its first year of existence the law has advanced with the constitution of two of its key entities. On the one hand, in May 2023 the Interdepartmental Commission for Research and Innovation (CIRI) was established, which promotes the internal coordination of the Generalitat in the promotion of research and defines its strategic lines of public funding. More recently, on December 22, the Council for Research and Innovation in Catalonia (CORICAT) was established, made up of 14 relevant personalities from research and innovation and chaired by Dr. Joan Massagué, who will advise the Government on the design of its strategies.
In addition, the Government has already appointed its representatives in the Council of Patronage in Research, Development and Innovation, which will come into operation soon.
Within the scope of the roadmap drawn by the Law of Science, the Government has already presented and approved two of the four plans and strategies provided for in the regulations. In summer, the Strategic Plan for innovation and knowledge transfer was approved, which aims to place Catalonia among the most dynamic European regions in transfer and innovation. The plan seeks to promote the transformation of research into actions in favor of progress, competitiveness and well-being.
On December 5, the University Strategic Plan on Research and Transfer of Excellence was approved, an initiative to strengthen research in universities and promote the generation of impact knowledge and transfer.
To all this we must add that the two remaining strategies are already developed and pending implementation. On the one hand, the Catalan Open Science Strategy, which will make it easier to arrange scientific production and data from research activity in repositories with open access and in an understandable way. And on the other hand, the Gender Equality Strategy in Science, whose objective is to promote parity between women and men and incorporate the gender perspective in the production of knowledge.
The steps forward of the Law of Science must also be noted on the ground, establishing the so-called scientific research arc, a link of centers, infrastructures and large knowledge projects to optimize the capabilities of science made in Catalonia.
Among these projects, the start-up of the Mare Nostrum 5 supercomputer at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the impetus for the construction of the fourth-generation ALBA 2 synchrotron in Cerdanyola del Vallès, the Innofab semiconductor pre-production plant, also in Cerdanyola del Vallès, stand out. , or the merger and resizing of research centers. It is also worth highlighting the progress in other strategic projects, such as the Ciutadella del Coneixement (Barcelona) and within it, the BiomedBIST building (known as the Fish Market), the Center for Advanced and Emerging Therapies of Catalonia (CTAEC) or the Vall de the Quantum
