Argentina has a new President. Finally, Alberto Fernández was consecrated at the polls on Sunday and during the next four years he will distribute his time at the Casa Rosada and the residence of Olivos.
In the middle of the trip between both points, more precisely in the Palermo neighborhood, a key space for the so-called Economy of Knowledge is glimpsed, a source not only of dollars (it is the third export sector) but also of hope for many Argentine professionals.
There, on the premises of the former Giol Wineries, the Ministry of Science and Technology, created in 2007 under the management of Cristina Kirchner, is located. By assuming as president, Macri kept Lino Barañao in charge of the portfolio as a sign of continuity of a State policy. Then, after the agreement with the IMF, he took the ministry to the rank of secretariat.
Along with that movement, there were also cuts in budgets and scholars, which ended up also opening a crack in the scientific community. The economic crisis was the last ingredient of an explosive cocktail for the sector.
In this scenario, Alberto Fernández highlighted in his campaign platform the recovery of science and technology. "It will be Ministry again, but with another minister," he repeats, as if inside the Kirchner they felt betrayed by Barañao.
And the person in charge of meeting with referents of the scientific-technological sector and gathering information was the economist Fernando Peirano, who will serve as undersecretary of Scientific Policy in the last two years of the government of Cristina Kirchner.
"As coordinator of the teams, in that area, which brought together more than 400 professionals and researchers of science and technology, we work with some criteria: diagnoses and proposals," Peirano confides to iProUP.
With the feedback he received from the community he designed an action plan that will be carried out once Alberto Fernández takes office. For now, try to return to the sector what they consider the "lost ground" during the macro.
The axes of the plan
The plan that Peirano put together with the proposals of the scientific-technological community aims to solve the impacts that he considers negative for management. Let's change that, according to iProUP, are summarized in the following planes:
- Economic: "43% of real resources of the Budget were reduced. It is similar to what happened to the industry, where only one third of the machines are active. This influenced experimental science, the operation of institutions and also in the huge fall in salary, with fellows below the poverty line "
- Institutional: "The development plans, such as" Innovative Argentina 2020 ", or the integration of collegiate fields, such as Conicet, which were much more weakened were not respected"
- Symbolic: "From the barrage of trolls in social networks against researchers to the statements of senior officials, including the President, on scientific-technological capabilities, the idea of ââhaving universities that promote social ascent and critical thinking that drive the development of the country "
The economic aspect is a priority, so that the first thing that will be done is to reverse the low salaries of researchers. He also anticipates that the number of new fellows will be raised to 650, after the previous administration has reduced the payroll to 450.
"We must start by recreating a horizon. Everything that has happened in recent years has generated a scenario that is prone to brain drain," Peirano warns, adding that a recent survey indicated that "more than 80% of scientists thought about leaving the country. ".
For this, the first step will be to form a Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. "The campaign allowed us to deepen the proposals that support what to have that portfolio", which will be vital to reconfigure it.
New ministry
For Peirano, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will not only be a symbolic issue: it will also have a strong political burden, and whoever heads it will be directly related to the rest of the portfolios that make up the Cabinet.
One of the problems that those who occupy that chair will have to deal with is that technology research is on par with science. "Argentina managed to establish a science system with more than 2,500 doctors trained per year. An evaluation format is in sight for any contribution to circulate around the world and underpin from papers and even patents. But we do not have the same in technology "describes.
According to his vision, there are certain interesting pieces, such as INVAP, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Aerospace Activities Commission, INTA and INTI. "But we do not have an institutionalized strategy for training human resources in technology, nor for a comprehensive evaluation that allows better articulation of efforts," Peirano completes.
This strategy pursues that the country's scientific achievements have their correlation in the productive and social sphere, since the economist considers that this connection space "is now deserted", so the new government will seek to "fill it with new actors, such as centers technology and public or mixed companies. "
The idea of ââadding signatures to the ecosystem is not the only objective of profitability, says Peirano, but to provide "a more business organization, with a greater gradient of strategies" that serves as a structure for the development of projects.
The official emphasizes that the new ministry must "seek new approaches" to obtain financing for the ecosystem, given an economic situation that is not very promising. "Budget is key," he acknowledges. In this framework, complementary measures will be addressed:
- "An emergency strategy to rebuild the budget lost in the Macri years. From management we must work to raise the missing funds"
- "Institutionalize a trajectory of salary increase in science and technology based on a Multiannual Budget Law"
- The work by missions, similar to the delegations formed by officials and businessmen to realize businesses, alliances and links in other countries.
"It represents 40% of the European Union funds for the promotion of innovation based on public policy objectives, which ends up being a cover letter for public and private actors," he says.
- "Achieve a commitment from other ministries to expand investment in public Research + Development (R&D) that ends up boosting private R&D."
In this sense, Barañao's successor will take on another importance within the Cabinet. "He must dialogue on equal terms with other ministers in energy, environment, health, transport, education," Peirano reveals.
Who heads this portfolio should not only have enough scrolls in his academic career, also management skills and political training. iProUP was able to establish some candidates based on the opinions of the scientific community, who placed Alberto Kornblihtt, molecular biologist and doctor of Chemistry, as the name with more chances.
Defined by Adrián Paenza as the "Messi" of science (he published more than 100 works in international journals that have received more than 10,000 citations), from the scientific field they recognize that he has political skills, which resulted in his militancy within Kirchnerism .
"In my work in the Callao Group, I can say that there is no short list of candidates. The appointment of ministers is an attribute of the elected president and will choose whoever thinks best represents this development policy agenda," Peirano responds to the question of iProUP.
Although he trusts: "Neither the designation will be surprising. In the space of the Frente de Todos has been working with professionals who not only have an academic background, but also experience in management."
Universities and entrepreneurs
According to Peirano, public universities and entrepreneurs will also be vital pieces to launch the science and technology plan that will begin to roll from December.
"We must improve the relationship between science and university. It could be facilitated with a framework law for researchers that sets a floor of rights and obligations, since each institution has its own", remarks in dialogue with iProUP.
With regard to the Law on the Economy of Knowledge, he says that "it is a positive expression of Congress on one of the paths of the economy." However, he states that it is incomplete. "It is an invitation to travel the road, but it lacks how to generate human resources. It must be accompanied by other decisions," he says.
One of them is the "expansion of fiscal credit, which allows companies that do R&D to credit taxes and Congress voted in December 2017". "It was never implemented due to problems in its design. It must be corrected to add it to the NRAs (Non-Refundable Contributions) and soft credits that the government suspended," he adds.
Finally, Peirano confirms to iProUP that it maintained dialogues with venture capitals, accelerators and innovation managers. "It is essential for a local entrepreneurial capital industry to be built. While progress has been made, the impact is lacking," he says.
For now, it will remain that the new government starts its new scientific plan. And a "legacy" that they consider abandoned is resumed and becomes an engine of the coming economy.
