- The selected research centers and units will receive 40 million euros in total
The State Research Agency has granted 7 new accreditations ‘Severo Ochoa’ and 6 ‘María de Maeztu’ to research centers and units for a total of 40 million euros. Selected by an international evaluation committee, the centers and units chosen stand out for their high competitiveness, their ambitious strategic plans, a top-quality scientific production and a great capacity to attract national and international talent. The Secretary of State for R + D + i, Carmen Vela, has chaired the award ceremony for the purpose of institutional recognition of excellent scientific research in Spain.
Three of the seven centers that have achieved the 'Severo Ochoa' distinction do so for the first time: the Center for Biotechnology and Plant Genomics (CBGP), the Association Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE) and the Madrid Institute of Studies Advanced in Nanoscience (IMDEA Nanoscience).
The remaining four have obtained accreditation as a center of excellence for the second time after having achieved it in 2012: the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE), the Institute of Theoretical Physics (IFT) and the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ). These centers have not only revalidated their position of reference in national and international research but, in the opinion of the evaluators, have consolidated their scientific leadership during the years in which they have enjoyed the aid 'Severo Ochoa'. Thanks to this distinction, they will receive one million euros annually for four years.
The six research units selected in the 'María de Maeztu' modality are: the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI), CICNanogune, the Department of Gene Regulation and Morphogenesis of the Andalusian Center for Development Biology, the Research Group in Remote Sensing, Antennas, Microwaves and Superconductivity of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Computing and the Galician Institute of High Energy Physics of the University of Santiago de Compostela. These units will have a financing of 500,000 euros per year for four years.
The requirements, levels of demand, criteria and evaluation and selection procedures related to the quality and excellence of the research and its results do not establish differences between centers and units. Both the 'Severo Ochoa' and the 'María de Maeztu' have been selected for their careers in the last five years and their strategic programs after a rigorous evaluation in which 115 top-level international researchers and recognized prestige in their respective fields have participated . This guarantees the quality, the level of excellence and the impact of the research carried out by both centers and units, establishing the differences solely on the basis of governance, structure and organizational and managerial principles, as well as the minimum required critical mass.
There are currently 25 centros Severo Ochoa ’centers and 16‘ María de Maeztu ’units.
