Por Redaccion Adrián Barbón has participated alongside Minister Diana Morant in the inauguration of the new headquarters of IPLA-CSIC in Oviedo/Uviéu: «We can proudly affirm that today is a great day for Asturias.»
The President of the Principality, Adrián Barbón, has emphasized the work of the Institute of Dairy Products of Asturias (IPLA-CSIC): «It is a center of excellence, internationally recognized, key for Asturian science and industry, and overflowing with talent.» The head of the Executive has taken part this morning, together with the Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Diana Morant, in the inauguration of the new research center facilities in Oviedo/Uviéu.
«Today we are doing much more than inaugurating a headquarters. We are strengthening our scientific ecosystem, making it more competitive, turning it into a feature that identifies the best Asturias,» he stated.
Barbón, along with the Minister of Science, has visited the new institute facilities, located in the La Corredoria neighborhood, within the «white coat mile,» which includes the Central University Hospital of Asturias (HUCA), the Foundation for Biosanitary Research (Finba), the Institute of Science and Carbon Technology. Also located in that area is the Vivarium, which will host the high-tech life sciences incubator.
«I take this opportunity to announce that all procedures and tenders are already underway to enable the incubator to start operating next year,» the president advanced.
On his part, he has committed to continue promoting R&D+i, a distinctive feature of the Government of Asturias. In this sense, he recalled that the number of research centers has increased from 2 to 16, that innovation spending increased by 28.1% in 2023, and that the goal is for investment in science and innovation to reach 3% of GDP by 2030, which would amount to a budget of 1,075 million.
This has been his full speech:
INTERVENTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS, ADRIÁN BARBÓN
Inauguration of the new IPLA headquarters
Science has been thriving in Asturias for a while now. Today, we add a new reason for celebration: the inauguration of this new headquarters of the Institute of Dairy Products of Asturias (IPLA).
You know why this event is important. But I would like to help ensure that the significance is not confined to this building, that we are able to convey to society why this May 15th is a grand day for our scientific ecosystem.
I will try. I start with the simplest, at least in appearance. Asturias is synonymous with natural quality. One of the products that best represents that prestige, recognized everywhere, is milk, with all its derivatives.
So far, everything is easy. Now comes something more complicated, explaining what IPLA is. Let’s say it is the institute of scientific excellence in dairy products. We are talking about microbiology, nutrition, biotechnology, all the knowledge and techniques that contribute to developing healthier and more sustainable products.
All that work benefits Asturias. Well, not only Asturias, but I am biased. The work of this center has been essential for improving people’s quality of life and boosting the agri-food industry, one of the most promising fields of our renewed economic fabric.
The councilor Borja Sánchez, who is a researcher, and a distinguished one at that, of IPLA, will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the institute excels in all indicators that measure scientific recognition, such as impact factor, citation impact (what they call, almost in a spy jargon, the h-index), the number of publications, and other metrics.
That is the business card. A center of excellence, internationally recognized, key for Asturian science and industry, and, moreover, brimming with talent. Because that also needs to be highlighted: the IPLA staff demonstrate a very high level of qualification. That is precisely where the strength of our research, development, and innovation system lies, condensed in the acronym R&D+i: a top-notch human capital, one of Asturias’ great assets for climbing the national and European scientific rankings.
However, I believe I owe you an explanation. At the beginning, I assured you that science has been thriving in the Principality for some time. I will be more specific: since 2019, when I decided to create a specific department and make the commitment to R&D+i a distinctive feature of my governments, progress has been spectacular. In this case, too, we can rely on some indicators:
– The number of R&D+i centers has increased from two to 16
– Innovation spending increased by 28.1% in 2023. Asturias was the second community with the best evolution.
– In the increase in employment linked to R&D+i, we are not in second place, but in first. In the same year of 2023, the increase reached 30%. We are talking about more than 4,700 people. By the way, R&D+i centers alone employ 450 people.
– In this period, the Sekuens agency was launched, which last year supported 656 projects totaling an investment of 170 million.
– We have established a schedule of research calls.
– At this point, Asturias has more than 500 companies with innovation projects. The number of startups and technology-based companies now exceeds 200.
And, to top it off, we have managed to pass the Science Law – or Borja Sánchez Law, as I like to call it, because it is only fair to recognize his effort – which includes the goal of increasing investment in science and innovation to 3% of GDP by 2030. For context, that percentage equates to around 1,075 million annually, combined public and private resources. Additionally, and with the CSIC as a model, it will allow us to create the Asturian System of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
All of that, and more that I am leaving out, in just five years of the great leap forward for science in Asturias.
Returning to this house, to IPLA. This inauguration is intertwined with that evolution. The institute, which is already part of the DNA of our ecosystem, reinforces that great innovation hub we know as the white coat mile, which includes HUCA, the Foundation for Biosanitary Research, the Institute of Science and Carbon Technology, and the Vivarium, which will host the high-tech life sciences incubator. I take this opportunity to announce that all procedures and tenders are already underway to enable the incubator to start operating next year.
So today, we are doing much more than inaugurating a headquarters. We are strengthening our scientific ecosystem, making it more competitive, turning it into a feature that identifies the best Asturias. If you allow me the jest, improving its microbiome and microbiota, so relevant to our health, as only IPLA knows how to do.
FUENTE