The surprise has been huge, so much so that some believed it was a hoax. But it is true. Castilla y León offers a contract for researchers of “renowned prestige, preferably those who have been awarded the Nobel Prize.” The best thing is the duration of the contract, between six and twelve months, something that has surprised even the Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, who understands that research contracts must last as long as necessary for them to work.
The Junta de Castilla y León has launched a new program (the Andrés Laguna) to try to incorporate into the scientific research carried out in the region personnel “of high impact and of international relevance” and with the capacity to “direct human teams , research centers, facilities and singular scientific and technological programs of great relevanceâ€. The Ministry of Education will give preference, in addition to those awarded the Nobel prize, also to those who have received an Abel prize, a Fields medal or similar. Of course, if they are not doctors it is not worth even having received those awards.
According to the Ministry of Education, the program will mobilize 6 million euros, 1.5 million the first year, although it could be expanded if necessary. Those interested will have to present their CVs at the public universities of Castilla y León and at the Higher Council for Scientific Research, CSIC, while academic institutions will have until September 1 of this year to present their “proposals for expressions of interest referred to to the hiring of distinguished researchers and to the R&D project to be developed in the entityâ€.
To apply for these scholarships, “researchers of recognized international prestige” must appear on the Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list, according to the rules of the call, or have “accredited merits of similar characteristics, preferably having been awarded with the Nobel prize in his specialty, the Abel prize or the Fields medalâ€.
This call has not been well received by Castilian-Leonese researchers. The researchers associations, Iniciativa de Valladolid, Innova Salamanca and AIF-ULe de León have not hesitated to reject the new program to incorporate prestigious researchers in “precarious conditions and with little planningâ€. According to these entities, the call “is hilarious and once again reflects the inconsistencies of the system. Instead of making a strong, long-term bet to attract talent and boost research, the Board appears to have opted for an insufficient and meaningless measure.â€
In addition, they point out that the initiative has generated the discontent and concern of researchers and scientists, who consider that “this type of occurrence” damages the reputation of the scientific community and reveals the “absurd” operation of the Spanish science and technology system.”
They criticize that the call does not specify the number of contracts offered or the remunerations and they see it as worrying that participation is limited by demanding that the candidates be linked to the regional strategy of intelligent specialization of Castilla y León and obtain a minimum score of 85 points out of 100 to be admitted.
They propose that these six million euros be used to quantitatively and qualitatively strengthen the pre-doctoral programs of the Junta de Castilla y León, in addition to undertaking and promoting their own post-doctoral call such as the Margarita Salas or Juan de la Cierva.
