MADRID, 9 (EUROPA PRESS)
La Confederation of Spain scientific societies (COSCE) has drafted an open letter that shall deliver to the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and members of Congress and the Senate, to request an agreement of “shielded from political and economic cycles” Science State.
In the text, this society reminds that the investment of science “should be considered a priority” and warned political leaders that will have to be “consistent” with the message sent. “No can keep the rhetoric of change to a model production when all the passes that go in the opposite direction”, have claimed.
Between the main points that the document highlights, COSCE has requested “avoid” that carried out a further reduction of investment in r & d, as well as include innovation among “priority sectors” allowing a range of public employment and recruitment in public research bodies possibilities.
, Points out that in the past three years the supply of public employment “has punished very harshly” to research institutions, who have suffered a “drastic reduction” in the number of new places. In this sense, says that the total number of new places has been 681, 589, 106, 50 and 55, for the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively and that the Government intends to provide zero places in 2012.
In addition, criticized that the fixed staff of research centres “declining rapidly” because during the last years the squares that remain free by retirement not replenished. “Meanwhile, the rest of the template is relegated, in the best of cases, a concatenation of short-term contracts”, have pointed out.
Also warn that investment in r & d must converge to the EU average and approaching the goal of 3% of the GDP established by the European Council, while in Spain funding in r & d in 2010 was 1.39% of GDP and it is estimated that this figure will be of less than 1.35% during 2011.
“While the economic engines of EU countries are near or above 2.5% (with three countries above 3%), rescued or tapped countries are very under
2.3 per cent (the average investment in the Europe of the 27).” Coincidence? “Of course not”, assert.
Therefore calls for an investment in r & d “stable and independent” of political and economic cycles. “The absence of stability, an endemic evil in the Spanish research system does lose effectiveness and credibility,” concludes.
