The president of the Ramón Areces Foundation, Don Raimundo Pérez-Hernández, inaugurated the VII Spanish Scientific, Technological and Innovation Diplomacy Meeting with a clear message of unquestionable support for the work and initiatives of the Associations of Spanish Scientists Abroad.
Next, the president of RAICEX, Francisco Vilaplana, celebrated the actions carried out during 2023 and promotes the common objective of positioning Spain as a country that attracts scientific talent and develops diplomacy. Likewise, the general director of FECYT, Imma Aguilar, opened her speech with the announcement of the creation of the new European Framework for Science Diplomacy. From the European Office and the Ibero-American Office of Fecyt and together with the new office of Science for Policy promote mobilities and scientific exchange relations between countries, as well as creation of scientific production studies.
From the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Immaculada Figueroa, highlighted the relevance of promoting international collaboration and cooperation between relevant senior agents in the scientific field and academic policy.
Santiago Herrero, as representative of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation,questioned where we came from and what the future prospects of the associations are Spaniards abroad. A fundamental issue given the increase in associations and the magnitude of their activities.
The first round table Scientific Diplomacy in Europe and the Spanish Presidency presents the following points:
Javier Pardo, Co-vocal of Scientific Policy and Talent Attraction at RAICEX, highlights his work and effort to increase the visibility of Spanish Scientific Associations in the Abroad in the Spanish presidency of the EU.
Lourdes Meléndez, Area Head of theSpanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), highlights that embassies and cultural and scientific advisors are the key agents to support and encourage scientific proposals and must work in a network and in a structured way. Likewise, it highlights that during the Spanish presidency of the EU, 43 dossiers were approved and great progress was achieved in legislative and political issues at European level. These include the supply of critical raw materials, Artificial Intelligence in Europe and the Ecological Transition.
From the public, the UK's cultural and scientific advisor demands greater coordination between embassies and more information for cultural and scientific ministries.
At the second round table Strategy and actors of Spanish scientific diplomacy, the general secretary of RAICEX, Eva Ortega, highlights that associations go beyond the desire to they make changes, but they act from the inside out: “we are showcases of our science abroad”. RAICEX is a unique and successful case of associationism
Explanation from Office C, Izaskun Lacunza director of science for public policy at FECYT, a joint initiative of Congress and FECYT, a matchmaking program whose objective is to promote the exchange of knowledge between professionals from the scientific world and Congress representatives. These matchmaking programs are already common in the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Parliament.
Francisco Javier Moreno, vice-president of International Relations at CSIC, argues that science is one of the dimensions through which strategic lines of work must be designed.
At the round table on Scientific Diplomacy in Ibero-America we had for the first time the presentation of Inmaculada Figueroa, Deputy Director General of Internationalization of Science and Innovation, MCIU, which highlights the great collaboration with Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and the Caribbean. One of the main challenges is the great imbalance between different countries, the lack of structure and organization and the little stability of dialogue in America.
The Ibero-American Agenda for Science, Technology and Innovation presents the Ibero-American network of scientific diplomacy, which includes the Plan for the use of Spanish and Portuguese as scientific and a training plan for doctors and researchers aimed at Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Colombia.
The general director of FECYT, Imma Aguilar, explained that the foundation plays a role in the cooperation of formats through the Ibero-American Office, now existing is equipment and resources through the INTERCONECTA project with a training and training program for journalism and scientific dissemination. As strategic lines in Ibero-America together with the direction of Spanish in the world together with the PERTE of the new Language Economy together with Uruguay, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico. Finally, it highlights that Spanish has a fundamental role in the transfer of scientific knowledge or in the social appropriation of science.
Domenec Espriu, director of the State Research Agency, emphasizes solving the problem of being linked only to European programs whose priorities may not be aligned with the lines or initiatives of the scientific community.
Felix García Lausín, Coordinator of the Ibero-American Knowledge Space (SEGIB), declares the need to develop programs similar to the Mediterranean PRISMA, but in America Latin.
The FECYT representative added that associations of Spanish scientists in Ibero-America should be part of the Spanish scientific system and work with a true scientific diplomacy network that already exists alongside the embassies, cultural and scientific advisors, CDTI delegates, AECID and FECYT advisors.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
From Acebra, president Veronica Aran Ponte, vice-president Marcial Fernandez and DireCom Almudena Munoz Gallego participated in the event.
Unity makes science and science makes a country!