The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Thursday that his Government will have a new body of scientific advisors to improve public policies, facilitate an evidence-based response to emergencies and participate in the creation of long-term strategies in the face of great challenges. of the present.
With this measure, endowed with 10 million euros per year, Spain aims to alleviate a historical lack of scientific advisors in the Government, a common figure in other European countries, in the EU, and also in the United States or Canada. The president aspires for Spain to be a leader in Europe in this field.
The first calls to join this new ranking, which includes the creation of an official position of scientific advisor comparable to parliamentary advisors, are published this Thursday.
Moncloa is looking for scientists from all branches of knowledge who have a doctorate and are curious to know the administration from within. His main task will be to answer questions from political officials and build bridges between the world of scientific evidence and administration, between which a void of mutual incomprehension often opens. Each of the 22 ministries of the Sánchez Government will have one of these advisors in its cabinet, including that of Science, Innovation and Universities, held by Diana Morant, since better advice on public policies will also be necessary in that portfolio, argue sources of Moncloa.
The President of the Government announced these new measures during an official event at the headquarters of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the largest public science organization in the country. “We face very complex social, technological and environmental challenges. And we do it with brains full of biases and distortions. To overcome them, we have to take advantage of the vast scientific knowledge generated by our universities and research centers, in its broadest sense, including the pure sciences, the social sciences and the human sciences,” he said in his speech. Precisely in the CSIC there will be another of the great legs of the new advisory system, where a new office will be created with another 11 advisors. The inspiration for this new body will be Office C of the Congress of Deputies, which has been operating for two years and prepares reports on different topics for parliamentarians.
The “brain” that will coordinate this new system will be the National Scientific Advisory Office (ONAC), headed by sociologist Josep Lobera, former right-hand man of Diana Morant in the Ministry of Science. The new office depends on the Presidency of the Government and falls under the umbrella of the General Secretariat of Public Policies, European Affairs and Strategic Foresight of the Presidency of the Government, which is currently held by historian Diego Rubio. Another 12 advisors will work at ONAC.
Moncloa’s intention is to begin filling all these positions after the summer, starting with those sent to the ministries, who are expected to be elected in October, to culminate next year. This group of almost 50 permanent, full-time advisors will be joined by several dozen scientists who will spend about six months in the Government as advisors on specific issues at the request of each ministry. The intention is for this group to have about 50 places, which will also be intended for doctors who are interested in knowing how the administration works inside and contributing to “translating” the complexities of scientific evidence into a language accessible to ministers and others. administration positions. “They will not have to give the solution to a problem, but they will have to know where to find the best answers to the questions they are asked,” summarizes from Moncloa.
The new plan announced by Sánchez also hopes to create a new scholarship program for research applied to public policies of two million euros that will be distributed to research groups in packages of about 100,000 euros. The objective is the analysis and evaluation of public policies, for example by carrying out so-called randomized controlled trials that serve as a testing ground for new political measures, as has already been done, for example, with the Minimum Living Income. These projects also aim to exploit ministerial databases for research, a traditionally limited territory.
The Government also plans to create a new institutional protocol to launch, in a quick and organized manner, specific scientific advisory groups in crisis and emergency situations. It is still to be determined what the selection criteria should be, whether the scientists will be paid and whether the work of these groups will be public, the Presidency explains. “The objective is that, the next time there is an emergency, the Administrations have well-defined mechanisms to identify and consult experts quickly and rigorously. May scientific rigor guide our decisions, even in moments of maximum urgency and difficulty,” said Sánchez during the presentation.
The Government hopes that this new framework will have a long history and will not disappear with the end of the legislature if the Government changes direction. To achieve this, they have tried to ensure that the new system is not politicized and that the new positions are well recognized among scientists, the same sources from the Presidency detail. The same sources assure that there have been conversations with all political parties, except with Vox, and that there is a perception that it is a useful measure.
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