Government presents Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Bill

The Council of Ministers examined a report on a Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Bill. This future legislation will consolidate Spain’s position among the countries with the highest scientific production in the world and will help build a new production model and a sustainable economy in the long term.

The First Vice-President of the Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, and the Minister for Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, used the press conference held after the Government meeting to present the details of the report on a Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Bill.

María Teresa Fernández de la Vega believes this future law is a necessary step forward to foster talent, establish regulations that support and protect the professional careers of Spanish researchers and create modernising legislation with a commitment to public-private collaboration and the coordination of all players and institutions involved in research, development and innovation.

The First Vice-President of the Government assured the press that the new law will form one of the pillars of Spain’s new economic model and will provide Spanish researchers “with an attractive, more stable career in which mobility obstacles are removed and through which Spain will generate additional efficiency and effectiveness in our research, development and innovation model”.

She went on to add that this legislation will help develop “a true knowledge society and support a sustainable economy, strengthening the ties between the public science and technology system and the Spanish business fabric”.

Cristina Garmendia summarised the five basic principles of the proposed legislation as follows: it is focused on researchers; it seeks efficiency and effectiveness in public spending on R&D+i; it fosters cooperation with the Autonomous Regions of Spain; it makes a firm commitment to changing the economic growth model; and it is a pioneering approach.

According to the Minister for Science and Innovation, the new law designs a stable, predictable scientific career based on merit, simplifying the start of, promotion during and mobility within the professional careers of researchers. It provides for a new recruitment system for young people by replacing the grant system with a contract system, something that can only be found at the moment in Northern European countries and France.

She went on to say that the Government expects to “stimulate new scientific vocation and retain the best”. She added that “we will now have contracts with all the resulting benefits, whereas before we had grants”. Until now, scientists have not achieved professional stability before the age of 39. Under these new measures, the Government estimates that will now be possible by 34.

The law provides for promotion systems based on scientific merit and horizontal career moves to encourage mobility between universities and public research bodies, but also from the public sector to the private sector, with special arrangements for scientists who want to set up technology-based companies.
The Minister announced that the law facilitates the recruitment of international talent with “a new type of contract; one for the recruitment of outstanding researchers”.

More flexibility and cooperation from the public authorities

Ms Garmendia indicated that the Government wants public authorities to function with more flexibility and less bureaucracy. In her opinion, the creation of a State Research Agency will enable more flexible management of grants so that scientists “can devote more time to research and less time to justifying the application for their projects”.

The Agency will establish a stable financing framework and will have total independence to apply scientific criteria to the distribution of funds. “We are talking about criteria of excellence and quality as unique criteria. Where we have seen a traditional administrative management method until now, we will begin to see management by objectives, which is more flexible, faster and less dependent on budget issues”, she assured.

Another of the principles of the new law is cooperation between different public authorities and within the European Union. The law is based on the development of autonomous systems in terms of R&D that currently coexist with the state system and on the conviction that Spain must play a leading role in the construction of the new European Research Area.

The Minister reiterated that the law will have new mechanisms for coordination between the various public authorities and, in particular, will create the State Science and Technology Strategy.

Change of growth model and pioneering approach

In order to support a change to the economic growth model, the law incorporates two key measures: the creation of the State Innovation Strategy, a new instrument for cooperation between the authorities and all other players; and the Young Innovative Company Statute, an important instrument for supporting the creation and consolidation of young companies during their first six years of operation.

Cristina Garmendia stated that the Government wants to create a “pioneering law that incorporates new elements”. It therefore includes measures for progressing towards a situation of effective equality between men and women, it supports those scientists who use their knowledge in the fight against poverty and social exclusion and it makes a commitment to opening up scientific knowledge to society, enabling open access to the results from research financed with public money.

The Minister believes that the law is of a “clear reformist nature” and will focus on “progression for our economy and steering increased competitiveness”.

Digital Terrestrial Television

The Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, Miguel Sebastián, presented the Council of Ministers with a report on the switch-over process to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), which will come to an end in Spain on 3 April, two years before the deadline proposed by the European Commission.

María Teresa Fernández de la Vega highlighted that the document provides “positive data on the implementation of this technology”. DTT coverage in Spain already exceeds 98% of the population and more than 90% of Spanish homes have access to the new Digital Television channels. In terms of audience share, Digital Television exceeds analogue broadcasts by more than 43 points.

According to the Vice-President of the Government, maximum effort has been made to provide sufficient information to the public regarding this process. As a result, almost all Spanish families (99%) claim to be aware of the new audiovisual broadcasting system.

The Vice-President also pointed out that the DTT Switch-Over Plan is mobilising 12,000 million euros, has brought stability to more than 40,000 jobs and maintains activity for over 10,000 companies in the sector. By having anticipated the analogue signal switch-off date in Spain, these companies have established a leading position for themselves in the installation of this infrastructure throughout Europe and in other markets.

Housing

The Council of Ministers has lowered the interest rates for loans granted within the framework of the State Housing Plans between 1998 and 2005, as well as in the 1995 and 1998 Programs.

María Teresa Fernández de la Vega stated that the measure will benefit 600,000 families, who are now going to have lower repayments. The revision was made in the first quarter of the year “in order to make the most of the downward trend seen in the indicators used as the basis”, she said.

This revision does not include the interest rates for the current Housing and Refurbishment Plan, as the loans issued within this plan are automatically updated according to the Euribor.

Furthermore, the Minister for Housing, Beatriz Corredor, presented a report on the Basic Emancipation Allowance. This Allowance is aimed at young people between 22 and 30 with a property rental contract, whose income does not exceed 22,000 euros gross per year and who show an employment history of at least six months.

A total of 250,000 allowances have been granted according to data contained within the report, which have already been received by 187,991 young people. Catalunya, Madrid and Andalusia are the Autonomous Regions of Spain with the largest numbers of beneficiaries.

The Vice-President considers this measure “to be producing good results” in terms of the objective of facilitating the emancipation of young people, supporting their labour mobility and stimulating the property rental market.
Education

The Government also studied a report presented by the Minister for Education, Ángel Gabilondo, on the Convergence of university studies in Spain in regard to the European Higher Education Area.

The numbers clearly demonstrate that, whereas only 18,000 students studied a university degree adapted to the new European requirements in the last academic year, the current figure has multiplied ninefold to now stand at 161,000 students.

Ms Fernández de la Vega indicated that this means that “half of all students who began their university studies this year did so under the new system”.
According to Government estimates, the process will have finished next year and all first-year degree courses will correspond to degrees adapted to the Bologna Accords.

The Vice-President underlined that the objective of the Government is for all students to be able to benefit from this change “regardless of their economic capacity”.

Miguel Delibes

At the press conference held after the Council of Ministers, the First Vice-President expressed on behalf of the Government her condolences to the family of the writer Miguel Delibes, who passed away on Friday at the age of 89.
“He was one of the greats, a unique writer, a writer of the highest calibre, universal, who from his native Valladolid recreated human nature and a very important part of our most recent history with enormous accuracy. Our recognition of his art and immense legacy and our thoughts go out to all his family”, she said.

Other agreements

Analysis of a report on the work undertaken by the Emergency Military Unit in 2009.

Approval of the Royal Decree that brings forward the one-off payment of the “coal allowance” to those taking early retirement from the coal mining sector.

41 million euros earmarked for the Tripartite Foundation for Training in Employment.