Allocating more or less money to R&D is not the main thing, but rather its strategic execution
The investiture of Pedro Sánchez as President of the Government seems increasingly uncertain, and the political debate becomes more heated and constant. Both now and during the weeks of negotiations, our politicians have proven to be more interested in discussing who will occupy which ministries and who will agree with the most reprehensible government partner, than in negotiating over proposals with specific content. And as also happened during the electoral campaign, references to R&D are practically conspicuous by their absence.
In the speech that opened the last investiture debate, Sánchez alluded to the topic for the first time, highlighting the importance of Spain catching up with the rest of Europe in terms of innovation, reaching the European investment average of 2% of GDP.
A clear nod to the scientific community, as it was in its day to once again grant its own ministry to R&D (that of Science, Innovation and Universities), removing it from the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation created by the Mariano Rajoy Executive (and which depended on the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness).
But this change of name and organizational chart has remained a gesture in front of the gallery, given that the situation does not seem to have changed substantially. It is true that the allocation of the General State Budget for R&D activities rose slightly (8.3% compared to the previous year), but it is also true that 53.2% of this budget was not used, and that this figure is the second highest in the history of unexecuted innovation budgets. Most of the investment in R&D in this country last year came from the pockets of companies, who do seem to understand the value of advances in science and technology to improve society and the productive fabric of the country.
However, allocating more or less money is not enough to optimize the Spanish innovative ecosystem: it is rather a matter of executing it strategically, and organizing resources in an efficient way. Without going any further, 90% of the public budget not spent on R&D has been allocated to loans and credits that, as I see on the front line, no one is interested in asking because of the conditions of their repayment.
I understand that it would be much more positive, for example, to allocate these funds to direct aid that encourages entrepreneurship or facilitates the hiring of specialized personnel in large companies, or to support co-investment programs that encourage private investors to bet on scientific-based entrepreneurial and technological projects.
Our country would also benefit greatly if we defined which sectors or technological and scientific trends we want to be leaders in, since we all know that “one should not bite more than one can chew”. China has been betting on artificial intelligence for several years and has become one of the leaders (if not the leader) in the world in this technology. Singapore, a small country that just 30 years ago was nothing more than a manufacturing island, today is a world power in smart cities and biotechnology.
Large amounts of the public budget for R&D, always greater than 2% of GDP (compare that with our 1.20%) and the strategic definition of scientific sectors, and trends in which to stand out, are the ingredients of its success. In the case of Spain, one of the engines towards prosperity through scientific and technological excellence could be found in our agri-food industry, a sector in which we are already strong (we are constantly in the top 5 in Europe) and in which a large amount of innovation occurs, with 63% of companies carrying out R&D activities on a regular basis.
In recent months it has surprised us with advances such as artificial intelligence algorithms that can optimize the quality of various crops, robots that collect all types of fruits, vegetables and greens; 4.0 farms with IoT networks capable of monitoring the health of plants and animals, and packaging with nanotechnological developments that extend the useful life of our food. A sector with good health, an innovative culture and in which a very versatile range of scientific and technological advances can be applied, from biotechnology to blockchain.
We all want a new Government to arrive now. But I personally still wish more strongly that said Government, whatever its sign, has enough insight to know that the so-called spending on R&D&I is not really an expense, but an investment in the future; that science and technology have the key to enter, and to excel, in the new economic model that will govern (and in many countries, is already governing) in the 21st century: the knowledge economy.
Manuel Fuertes is an expert in technology transfer from the University of Oxford and general director of the Kiatt group
