A strong increase in the federalization of public investment in science and technology

the National Science, Technology and Innovation System Financing Act, adopted in 2021 The consensus, which led to a gradual and sustained increase in the national budget allocated to science and technology until reaching 1% of GDP in 2032, enabled a paradigm shift in the distribution of investment that in some regions of the country increased even more. An official statement said that more than 600%.

One of the central goals of the national government assumed in 2019 was to restore and increase levels of public investment in science, technology and innovation that had deteriorated over the period 2016-2019.

In order to promote the budget increase as a state policy, a draft law on financing the scientific and technological system was promoted, which was discussed and unanimously approved by the National Congress in 2021, the Ministry of Science’s message noted.

This goal had a second goal: federalizing investment in science and technology to achieve decentralization of the system, which was 85% concentrated in central and urban areas. It should be noted that 20% of the annual increase stipulated by law must be distributed to the governorates and applied to real investment projects that give priority to the most deprived geographical areas.

In a frame The last meeting of the Executive Committee of the Federal Council for Science and Technology (COFECyT)Science Minister Daniel Vilmos, made up of the country’s regional representatives for science and technology, explained that the funding law “allows a predictable horizon because by 2015, Argentina had invested 0.35% of its GDP in science and technology. Between the beginning of 2016 and the end of 2019 investment decreased.” To 0.23%, and in 2020 and 2021 it begins to recover until it reaches 0.32% in 2023. For 2024, the ratio of the CyT function relative to GDP is expected to increase, which will represent a historical maximum of 0.39%.”

“We need more research and technology in places where raw materials are produced, where young people can have the right to realize themselves and have institutes with infrastructure and equipment to be able to have a future anywhere in the country.”Daniel Vilmos

Vilmos also highlighted that: “When we took office, 85% of resources were concentrated in the metropolitan area. In no other issue is there as much inequality as in this case. We need more research and more technology in that Places where raw materials are produced, where young people have the right to realize themselves and have institutes with infrastructure and equipment to be able to have a future anywhere in the country.”

Among the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Science in this regard are the following: Federal programs Building Science and Instrumenting Science, Projects for Federal Innovation (PFI), the national federal RAICES program and high-impact federal networking projects.

he Federal Building Science Programdedicated to enhancing the scientific research, development and technological innovation capabilities of the institutions of the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation (SNCTI), through the creation or adaptation of their infrastructure, has invested since 2022 the amount of $144,300,000,000.-pesos in 93 infrastructure works across the country.

he Federal Equipment Science Programwhich contributes to strengthening the capabilities of institutions of the scientific and technological system, through the acquisition of medium and large-sized equipment, has invested since 2022 the amount of 37,506,639,847 US dollars in a total of 699 pieces of equipment for institutions throughout the country.

the Call for Federal Innovation Projects (PFI) 2023 Allocates a total amount of $4,800,000,000 – pesos – $200,000,000 per jurisdiction – to projects that provide solutions to specific social, production and environmental problems, at the municipal, provincial and regional scale, through the generation and transfer of scientific-technological knowledge.