The report on the state of science in Catalonia 2023 has been presented
The report The state of science in Catalonia 2023, coordinated by the Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació (FCRI) and carried out by five independent experts from the fields of universities, research centres, business, socio-economic impact and internationalisation, and with the collaboration of 32 organisations, was presented yesterday at an institutional event at the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona. The document determines that scientific research in Catalonia is experiencing a turning point marked by the Catalan Science Law and the progressive recovery of the pace of investment, which now places it on the path to growth, improving competitiveness and maintaining excellence on the European scene.
The publication of the report, which is published every two years, has been authored by the executive secretary of the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP), Josep M. Vilalta; the president of the Catalan Association of Research Entities (ACER) and director of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Josep Samitier; the head of Innovation and Business Development at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Mariona Sanz; the director of Research at the Catalan Agency for Health Quality and Assessment (AQuAS); Paula Adam Bernard; and the director of Strategic Analysis and International Relations at Biocat, Montse Daban.
The results of the report
The conclusions of the results indicate that Catalan universities show a high degree of internationalisation in terms of participation in European projects and in attracting competitive funding, both in comparison with other universities and autonomous communities and on a European scale. They currently contribute to Catalan scientific production with two thirds of the publications generated. The Government’s Industrial Doctorate Plan, for its part, is consolidating its position as a powerful tool at the intersection between research, training of highly qualified capital and innovation in universities.
With regard to research centres, the study reveals that public and private non-profit institutions in the Catalan R&D system are highly efficient in attracting competitive resources. In this area, the indicators of knowledge production, publications and patents place Catalonia in a leading position at national level and with a high capacity for international collaboration.
In the area of private research, the recovery of the R&D investment capacity of Catalan companies has contributed to positioning Catalonia as a strong innovative region in the European RIS2023 ranking. It is also noted that Catalan companies are incorporating new innovation models provided by start-ups into traditional collaborative innovation.
What’s new in this year’s edition
The 2023 edition of the report extends the characterisation of the research value chain in Catalonia by defining the bases of a model for analysing the impact of research in Catalonia and also presenting a selection of good practices in this field. These parameters will contribute to a better measurement of the impact or changes on people, societies and the planet resulting from scientific research. This work also analyses the internationalisation of Catalan research and the design of policies that promote the internationalisation of the country.
News source: FCRI