The Spanish intellectuals of the Enlightment contributed, with their studies on botany and astronomy -the fruit of their scientific expeditions to the New World- to the development of the so-called Practical Sciencies in Spain.

        However, despite these efforts, Spain played an inconsequential role in the birth of modern science which took place during the 17th and 18th centuries. When, in the 19th century, this concept had become consolidated in the most advanced European nations of the times, our country found itself sorely lagging behind. Nevertheless, during this period there were a number of prominent persons of great scientific talent and, in spite of the chaotic economic situation, the Junta de Ampliacion de Estudios e Investigaciones Cientificas was founded around the turn of the century, a milestone which -regardless of the vicissitudes of Spain's modern history- benefited the inception of scientific investigation in Spain.

        One of Spain's most important scientists was Santiago Ramon y Cajal who was awarded the Nobel Prize for the histological investigations he had conducted alone. Other prominent investigators such as Torres Quevedo Blas Cabrera and Eduardo Torroja, despite the economic difficulties of their country -which did not even appreciate their efforts- also stand out. Another Nobel Prize winner, Sevrero Ochoa, received this award for his scientific investigations carried out in another country.

        Spanish industry, which began to develop significantly during the 1960s, depended on foreign technology; this involved paying technical aid, taxes and royalties, etc. -that is to say, spending sums of such a magnitude that in 1982 they exceeded the entire amount of money used for research in Spain. The persons responsible for policy realized this drain on the country untenable and as of 1983 with the enactment of University Reform Law and later, in 1986, with the Law to Generally Promote and Coordinate Scientific and Technical Research -the so called Science Lawand other procedures, such as the Patent Law, etc., they took the first steps to modernize Spain's scientific and technical system, and to define and organize directed research; from then on, great effort has been made to stimulate scientific and technological development.

        The purpose of this new general framework which has established the Science Law, is to correct the traditional defects of the System and create the neccessary instruments to define the most important courses of action, programme resources, coordinate operations between the public and private sectors, and to meet the challenge that Spanish society faces on the international front. Internationally R+D activities are developed on the one hand, within the frame of reference of the European Community and, on the other, by means of a number of bilateral and multilateral programmes.

        Since Spain's accession to the European Comminuty, both Spanish companies and the scientific community have been actively participating in the R+D European Programmes -the Franmework Programme, EUREKA, European Space Agency, etc.- which has had favourable repercussions on its competitiveness and position within the European Community. Therefore, the new international framework and the aforementioned accomplishments aimed at promoting R+D are bringing about a substantial change in the Spanish scientific-technological industrial System. Total expedinture in Spain for R+D has multiplied by four over the 1982-1992 period. It is estimated that in 1992, 509,000 million pesetas were spent on R+D. The promotion of R+D activities necessarily involves the concession of operational funds. The year the Science Law was passed, the State's General Budget marked 84,000 million pesetas for R+D, while in 1992 that same figure rose to 312,200 million pesetas, which represented a global increase of 270%. The funds that the Central Adminisation reserves for the system have stimulated private spending and Spanish companies have also incremented their contribution to global financing -around 225,000 million pesetas in 1992- and have carried out R+D to the value of 294,000 million pesetas, which represent almos 60% of total spending, and the general tendency reflects a rise, increasingly brin ging Spain in line with the model observed in neighbouring industrialized countries.

        In 1982 there were the equivalent of 18,700 researchers working full time in Spain; by 1990, this 1982 figure has doubled, reaching 37,500. Approximately 70% of the people involved in research are connected with universities and other public institutions, and 30% are found in public and private companies. This proportion, still inferior to that of other neighbouring countries (50:50), is gradually balancing out, chiefly owing to the country's immense educational effort -there are around 11,000 scholarship research students- which is principally directed at fields of potential interest for industry.

        An important part of Spanish research in carried on in 42 universities (37 public and 5 private) and in public research agencies such as the Superior Council for Scientific Research (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas) and the Astrophysic Institute in the Canary Islands (IAC) (depending on the Ministry of Education and Science), the National Institute of Agrarian Research (INIA), the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO) (depending on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), the Centre of Energetic, Environmental and the Technological Research (CIEMAT) and the Technological and Geomine Institute (depending on the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism) and the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) (depending on the Ministry of Defence). Among the former, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), which employs 7,000 persons, 2,000 of whom are scientists, is of great importance, and unlike the others, is a multidisciplinary institute.

        Spanish companies are reacting positively and with determination to the challenge of incorporating their own technology as an indispensable factor in order to raise their competitiveness both at home and internationally, to the level of Europe, especially taking into consideration the reality of the European Community's single market since 1993. During the period 1982-1992 the Spanish has increased their R+D budget by an average accumilative annual rate of 20% which represents one of the largest increases among the OECD countries.

        Public companies, that carry out approximately 20% of the expenditure in R+D and employ 16% of the R+D personnel within the business and industry sector (INI, INH, Telefonica, RENFE), generating their own technology stand out above all in the defense, aeronautic and communications fields, among others. In private companies, the most dynamic sectors correspond to the pharmaceutical and chemical products, software, electronic equipment and transfortation equipment, etc.

docuweb.ca/SiSpain/ - General information about the scientific and tecnological systems; Research Activies; National Research and Development Plans, among others.