- It will be responsible for financing, evaluation, execution and monitoring of funds for R&D
- About 300 people will work on it with the aim of managing aid in a more agile, flexible and autonomous way
- The planning will be multiannual with medium-term objectives, which will provide stability to the calls
The Council of Ministers has approved the creation of the State Research Agency with the aim of providing the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation system with a more flexible, agile and autonomous management. This Agency, a demand of the scientific community included in the Law of Science of 2011, will be responsible for financing, evaluation and allocation of funds for R&D. It will also carry out follow-up activities of the actions financed to improve the measurement of the results and their impact.
The State Research Agency aims to improve the effectiveness of the services provided by the General State Administration in the field of R & D & I, the incorporation of the best international evaluation practices, the accountability of the grants granted and the simplification of administrative procedures.
The Agency is created at zero cost with the human and material resources of the Secretary of State for R & D & I and its implementation will be in 2016. In a period not exceeding 60 days, the governing body of the Agency will be established, the Governing Board, which should appoint as director, sole executive officer, a researcher or technologist with experience in the management of R&D. During this period, provisionally, the direction of the Agency will be assumed by the Director General of Scientific and Technical Research.
The new agency will have approximately 300 employees that will manage the aid of the Secretary of State for R & D & I. The Agency has the capacity to also manage the R&D aid of other ministries through agreements, and may also add the management of private funds. It will act in coordination with the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), the other major financing agent for R & D & I, where appropriate especially for the business world.
The State Research Agency will provide greater stability to the public aid of R&D thanks to the multiannual planning of its resources, being able to set medium-term objectives and allowing that calls for projects or HR have the necessary predictability in the installments and financing. It will also have an independent evaluation system based on scientific and technical criteria to ensure the promotion of quality and excellence.
With the creation of this Agency, the Law of Science, Technology and Innovation of 2011, the Law of General State Budgets of 2015 and the National Reform Program are complied with. In addition, a comparable model is established with the leading countries in EU science and the recommendations of the EU Council and the ERAC Peer Review are followed, which conducted an audit in 2014 of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation system at the request of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.