- Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures are necessary for cutting-edge research and technological development and maximum quality
The Scientific, Technological and Innovation Policy Council has approved the update of the Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructure Map (ICTS). The new Map is made up of 29 ICTS that bring together a total of 59 infrastructures (56 operational and 3 under construction). This action is included in the Spanish Science and Technology and Innovation Strategy as a planning and development tool for these infrastructures in coordination with the autonomous communities.
The Council of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Policy, chaired by the Minister of Economy and Competitiveness, Luis de Guindos, and in which the Minister of Defense, Pedro Morenés, has also participated, is represented by the Central Administration and the Autonomous Communities . Its purpose is to mark the strategic direction of the policies in this area, improving coordination between the different areas of the public sector.
For the updating of the Map, criteria of maximum scientific, technological and innovation quality have been taken into account, subjecting the candidate infrastructures to a rigorous independent evaluation process. In addition, these infrastructures must have their economic sustainability guaranteed.
This new Map will allow planning and coordinating the application of regional, national and European financing, particularly the ERDF funds of the 2014-2020 programming period.
The ICTS Map is available to the national and international scientific, technological and industrial community. These cutting-edge scientific-technical infrastructures are unique in their kind and have a very high investment and operation cost.
In short, the ICTS have three fundamental characteristics: they are publicly owned infrastructures, they are unique, and their use is open to the entire public and private research community. The 29 Singular Scientific and Technical Facilities have been planned from an operational point of view in eight areas.
Astronomy and Astrophysics: Gran Telescopio Canarias; Canary Observatories; Astronomical Observatory of Calar Alto; IRAM 30M radio telescope; Astronomical Center of Yebes; Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory, and Canfranc Underground Laboratory.
Marine, Life and Earth Sciences: Canary Islands Oceanic Platform; Coastal Observation System of Les Illes Balears; Spanish Oceanographic Fleet; Spanish Antarctic Bases; Doñana Biological Reserve; Aerial Research Platforms.
Information and Communications Technologies: Spanish Network of Expanded Supercomputing – led by the BSC-National Supercomputing Center – and RedIris.
Health Sciences and Biotechnology: Integrated Infrastructure of Production and Characterization of Nanomaterials, Biomaterials and Systems in Biomedicine; Integrated Infrastructure of Omic Technologies; Network of High Biological Safety Laboratories; Integrated Biomedical Image Infrastructure; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory.
Energy: Almería Solar Platform and National Fusion Laboratory.
Engineering: Integrated Maritime Experimentation Infrastructure.
Materials: Synchrotron ALBA, Network of White Rooms of Micro and Nanofabrication; Integrated Infrastructure of Electron Microscopy of Materials; Center of Ultraintense Pulsed Lasers; National Accelerator Center.
Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities: National Center of Human Evolution.
