Image: Efraimstochter, via Pixabay
Funding increased by 12.5 per cent as Spanish government bids to “rescue science from precariousness”
Spain has announced that it will increase funding for its centres and units of research excellence by 12.5 per cent on last year’s amount, bringing the total new allocation to €60.75 million.
The uplift is for centres in receipt of the Severo Ochoa excellence status or research units with the María de Maeztu excellence label. These awards recognise centres and units that “stand out for their relevance and impact at international level”.
Through an annual call for applications, research centres and units are awarded funding for four years and those with excellence status are given priority access to other research initiatives.
Announcing the funding uplift on 22 February, the government said it wanted to “rescue science from the historical precariousness it has suffered in our country”. It comes amid a wider push from the government to strengthen the Spanish research system, including by passing a wide-ranging bill to boost R&D careers in August.