Secretary of State for Universities and Research

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities
Secretario de Estado de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
Coat of Arms used by the Government
since 8 December 2023
Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
Secretariat of State for Science, Innovation and Universities
StyleThe Most Excellent (formal)
Madam Secretary of State (informal)
Reports toScience Minister
NominatorScience Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
PrecursorDirector-General for Universities
Director-General for Scientific Policy
FormationJuly 4, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-07-04)
First holderLuis González Seara
Websiteciencia.gob.es

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, known in its early years as Secretary of State for Universities and Research, is the second highest office of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain. The Secretary of State is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Science Minister.

As the second highest office of the Ministry, the Secretary of State is responsible for the direction of the responsibilities assigned to the Ministry over science, R&D&I and universities. The Secretary of State designs and directs, in coordination with the Secretary of State for Education, the scholarship and study aid programs and coordinated the efforts of the different Spanish public administrations and the European institutions.

The Secretary of State also takes care of the well administration and distribution of the European Union funds destined to universities, science and research and it secures the equal and universal access and no discrimination to universities and science with special attention to the role of women in this area.[1]

Because of his position, the Secretary of State is also the president of the State Research Agency and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology.

History

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The Secretariat of State was created for the first time in 1977[2] with the name of Secretariat of State for Universities and Innovation and was integrated in the Ministry of Education and Science but it was soon replaced by the Ministry of Universities and Science created in 1979.[3] This ministry was suppressed in 1981 and the secretariat of state was activated again and integrated in the Ministry of Education.

The significant modification happened in 2000. During the Second Aznar Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology was created and assumed the competences over R&D&I and science,[4] but the competences over universities were maintained in the Ministry of Education. At this time, the Secretary of State for Education assumed the competences over universities and in the Ministry of Science was created the Secretariat of State for Scientific and Technological Policy.

In 2004, the Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero merged the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and the Secretariat of State for Universities and Research was created again. In his second government, Zapatero revived the Ministry of Science but split the secretariat of state in two. In 2009 the Secretariat of State for Universities was suppressed and all its competences were assumed by the General Secretariat of Universities in the Ministry of Education.[5]

In 2012, the new government of Mariano Rajoy continued with the major austerity plan started by Zapatero to improve the economy which started with the reduction of dozens of high-ranking officials. This provoked that disappearance of the Ministry of Science and most of its competences were granted to the Ministry of Economy, which had as one of its major departments the Secretariat of State for Research, Development and Innovation. The General Secretariat for Universities was also eliminated and its competences were assumed, once again, by the Secretary of State for Education.[6]

Once that the crisis was over, the change of government in 2018 it brought with it the enlargement of the State Administration with the creation of new ministerial departments like the Ministry of Science, that assumed its old competences.

Names

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  • Secretary of State for Universities and Research (1977–1979; 1981–1996; 2004–2008)
  • Secretary of State for Universities, Research and Innovation (1996–2000)
  • Secretary of State for Education and Universities (2000–2004)
  • Secretary of State for Scientific and Technological Policy (2000–2004)
  • Secretary of State for Universities and Research (2004–2008).
  • Secretary of State for Universities (2008–2009)
  • Secretary of State for Research (2008–2011)
  • Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation (2011–2018).
  • Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities (2011–2018).
  • Secretary of State for Universities, Research, Development and Innovation (2018–2020)
  • Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities (2023–)

Structure

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To carry out its duties, the Secretariat of State is divided in five major departments and two non-ministerial bodies:[7]

  • The General Secretariat for Research.
    It is the department responsible for the promotion of R&D&I, the promotion of the Spanish participation in the European Union R&D&I programs and the scientific divulgation. It also supervises all the scientific institutions of the country.
  • The General Secretariat for Universities.
    It is a department that has a long history inside of the Administration and that sometimes was granted with autonomy. It's the highest university body responsible for developing the university policy, it elaborates regulation drafts and it promotes the scientific collaboration in universities in coordination with the General Secretariat for Research.
  • The General Secretariat for Innovation.
    It is the department responsible for innovation and knowledge transfer.
    The General Secretariat for Innovation is divided in three departments: the Deputy Directorate-General for Innovation Promotion, the Deputy Directorate-General for Innovation Coordination and aTechnical Cabinet.
  • The Directorate-General for Planning, Coordination and Knowledge Transfer.
  • The Special Commissioner for Vanguard Health.

Along with the mentioned departments, the Secretariat of State is the directly responsible of the State Research Agency and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology.

List of state secretaries

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Image Name Term of office Ministers serving under Prime Minister
Began Ended Days of service
Luis González Seara 13 July 1977 6 January 1979 542 Íñigo Cavero Adolfo Suárez
Competences assumed by Luis González Seara as Minister of Universities and Research between 1979 and 1981
Manuel Cobo del Rosal 16 March 1981 21 December 1981 280 Juan Antonio Ortega y Díaz-Ambrona Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
Saturnino de la Plaza Pérez 21 December 1981 8 December 1982 352 Federico Mayor Zaragoza
Carmina Virgili 8 December 1982 4 May 1985 878 José María Maravall Felipe González
Juan Manuel Rojo Alaminos 4 May 1985 1 August 1992 2646 José María Maravall
Javier Solana
Elías Fereres Castiel 1 August 1992 13 September 1994 773 Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
Gustavo Suárez Pertierra
Emilio Octavio de Toledo y Ubieto 13 September 1994 2 October 1995 384 Gustavo Suárez Pertierra
Jerónimo Saavedra
Enric Banda Tarradellas 2 October 1995 11 May 1996 222 Jerónimo Saavedra
Fernando Tejerina García 11 May 1996 12 July 1997 427 Esperanza Aguirre José María Aznar
Manuel Jesús González González 12 July 1997 23 January 1999 560
Jorge Fernández Díaz 23 January 1999 6 May 2000 469 Mariano Rajoy
Julio Iglesias de Ussel
Secretary of State for Education and Universities 		6 May 2000 20 April 2004 1445 Pilar del Castillo
Ramón Marimón Suñol
Secretary of State for Scientific and Technological Policy 		6 May 2000 3 August 2002 819 Anna Birulés
Pedro Morenés
Secretary of State for Scientific and Technological Policy 		3 August 2002 20 April 2004 626 Josep Piqué
Salvador Ordoñez Delgado 20 April 2004 6 May 2006 746 María Jesús San Segundo José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Miguel Ángel Quintanilla 6 May 2006 16 April 2008 711 María Jesús San Segundo
Carlos Martínez Alonso
Secretary of State for Research 		15 April 2008 5 December 2009 599 Cristina Garmendia
Márius Rubiralta i Alcañiz
Secretary of State for Universities 		21 April 2008 25 April 2009 369 Cristina Garmendia
University competences assumed by the General Secretary of Universities between 2009 and 2011
Felipe Pétriz Calvo
Secretary of State for Research 		5 December 2009 24 December 2011 749 Cristina Garmendia
Carmen Vela
Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation 		31 December 2011 19 June 2018 2362 Luis de Guindos Mariano Rajoy
Montserrat Gomendio
Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities 		14 January 2012 4 July 2015 1267 José Ignacio Wert
Marcial Marín Hellín[8]
Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities 		4 July 2015 19 June 2018 1081 Íñigo Méndez de Vigo
Ángeles Heras Caballero[9][10] 19 June 2018 15 January 2020 575 Pedro Duque Pedro Sánchez
Juan Cruz Cigudosa 8 December 2023 Incumbent 349 Diana Morant

The coloured secretaries of state hadn't all the competences described in this article.

References

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  1. ^ "Royal Decree 865/2018, of July 13, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities is developed". boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  2. ^ "Royal Decree 1558/1977, of July 4, by which certain organs of the Central State Administration are restructured". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  3. ^ "Royal Decree 708/1979, of April 5, by which certain organs of the Central State Administration are restructured". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  4. ^ "Royal Decree 696/2000, of May 12, which establishes the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Science and Technology". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  5. ^ "Royal Decree 1086/2009, of July 3, which modifies and develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Education". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  6. ^ "Royal Decree 1823/2011, of December 21, by which the ministerial departments are restructured". www.boe.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  7. ^ Ministerio de Hacienda y Función Pública (2023-12-06), Real Decreto 1009/2023, de 5 de diciembre, por el que se establece la estructura orgánica básica de los departamentos ministeriales, pp. 161991–162009, retrieved 2023-12-20
  8. ^ "Marcial Marín, un economista y exconsejero a la Secretaría de Estado de Educación". abc (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  9. ^ "La investigadora Ángeles Heras será la número dos del Ministerio de Ciencia" (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  10. ^ Domínguez, Nuño (2018-06-13). "Ángeles Heras, propuesta como número dos del Ministerio de Ciencia". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
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