Government of Spain earmarks 152 million euros for health-oriented science research

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, the Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, and the Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo, during the press conference (Pool Moncloa / José Manuel Álvarez)

The Council of Ministers has approved several agreements on science and health that are part of the goal of moving towards a productive model based on knowledge and talent.

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, stressed that these are measures with an ambitious budget and a significant impact on citizens' lives. The latest published data on R&D investment for 2024 shows that, for the fifth consecutive year, Spain's growth in this area exceeded the European Union average. Since 2018, this investment has increased by more than 60%, and employment in the sector has grown by 31%, according to Morant.

Funding science that reaches hospitals and patients

Firstly, the government has authorised the 2026 call for proposals for the Strategic Action in Health. It has a budget of €152 million (which can be increased by a further €40 million), representing an increase of almost 40% compared to 2018. As the Minister for Science explained, this is the main call for proposals to fund biomedical and health sciences research, "the kind that originates in laboratories but reaches hospitals and patients, gets directly to the population".

The call includes three programmes: one to fund research projects, another to hire predoctoral and post-doctoral staff, and a third to promote knowledge transfer. In addition to fostering basic science, it establishes priorities related to major current health challenges, such as research into childhood cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases, and pandemic preparedness. "We are talking about the real hope of many families and many patients who have names and surnames and who, thanks to these research projects, now have faster diagnoses, more effective treatments, and a better quality of life", said Diana Morant.

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/José Manuel Álvarez

The minister highlighted the technical improvements of the new call for proposals in aspects such as project duration, guarantees of job security for post-doctoral contracts, evaluation criteria, and streamlined management.

Spain, a leader in clinical trials and personalised medicine

Secondly, the Council of Ministers has approved the Vanguard Health Strategic Programme 2025-2027.. Driven by the Ministries of Science, Innovation and Universities and Health, it allows for the continuation of the most ambitious project deployed in the field of health in Spain, the PERTE for Vanguard Health. Since its launch in 2021, this programme has mobilised more than €2.8 billion, of which more than €2.5 billion comes from public investment. An effort that, according to Diana Morant, "has contributed to consolidating Spain as a global leader in clinical trials, personalised medicine and advanced health technologies".

The programme will allow for the continuation of the lines of work initiated with the PERTE to contribute to a stronger and more innovative National Health System. The four priorities are to promote the equitable development of innovative approaches to personalised, predictive, preventive, participatory, and population-based medicine; To promote the development and manufacturing in Spain of biotechnological products, health technology, and innovative medicines; to implement digital health services and incorporate artificial intelligence; and to encourage the integration of technological innovations into the public system. As examples of this innovation, Morant cited two prototypes: a brain MRI machine and equipment that extends the life of donated organs.

The minister stressed that the new programme will also continue the governance model initiated with PERTE through the Vanguard Health Alliance, which includes the main public and private stakeholders in the science system, patient representatives, and the autonomous communities.

Fourth generation scientific infrastructure

A third agreement related to scientific research is the new addendum to the agreement between the Government of Spain and the Government of Catalonia for the financing of the ALBA synchrotron.This particle accelerator, one of Spain's major scientific and technical infrastructures, allows for a deeper understanding of matter and the development of new applications, for example, in cancer treatments.

With this addendum, the Government of Spain and the Generalitat will each invest nearly €1 billion over the next 15 years to transform the synchrotron, located in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), into a fourth-generation facility, as is being done by the most advanced countries in this field. "Tax money is being used to strengthen this science system, which then ends up being applied to many areas, in this case, to people's health", stated Diana Morant.

Access to and performance of the profession of equality officer

The Council of Ministers addressed the draft bill regulating the role of the equality officer and their professional certification. The Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo, indicated that this is a long-standing demand of both equality officers and feminist movements. "This Government believes in equality policies that transform societies and continues to make progress in everything related to the structures and training and institutional frameworks aimed at achieving equality in all areas", she stated.

The legislation seeks to professionalise the work of those who perform functions related to equality, highlight the qualifications of these officers, provide legal certainty to the sector, prevent unqualified individuals from working in the field, and guarantee the quality of equality-related services.

The Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo, during the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa/José Manuel Álvarez

The Minister for Equality maintained that specific training is essential due to the maturity and scope of equality policies, which are no longer limited to protecting victims of all types of violence, but also combat discrimination against women in any sphere, including the business world. Furthermore, two laws-the 2007 Equality Law and the 2024 Parity Law-provide the foundation for a specific qualification to accredit these professionals. According to Ana Redondo, this training is already being developed by the Institute for Women and Equality.

Reserved actions and transitional period

According to the draft bill, equality officers will be responsible for analysing and diagnosing all human actions and activities that contribute to inequality and discrimination between women and men. They will also be responsible for the design, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies aimed at fulfilling the constitutional mandate to eliminate the obstacles that prevent real equality of opportunity.

The regulation reserves a series of actions for equality officers, such as providing external technical advice on the development and monitoring of anti-harassment protocols and protocols against sexist, sexual, or gender-based violence; offering technical assistance to committees that establish equality plans in companies; evaluating public equality policies; and providing specific training in equality matters.

Ana Redondo highlighted that the text establishes a ten-year transition period for individuals who already have training in equality matters or accredited experience to obtain the qualification, which will be a bachelor's or master's degree. During this period, individuals with a bachelor's degree or a higher vocational training qualification who can also demonstrate a minimum of three consecutive years of experience in these types of functions and activities, or five non-consecutive years, will be eligible to be accredited as equality officers. Those who already have specific studies or training in equality matters, that is, a bachelor's or master's degree in gender studies, feminist studies, or equality policy, will also be eligible.

Medals of Merit in the Fine Arts 2025

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / José Manuel Álvarez

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, announced the awarding of the Gold Medals of Merit in the Fine Arts to 35 individuals and organisations "that have contributed to the dissemination and creation of culture in our country".

The government spokesperson cited among the awardees singers Estrella Morente and María del Monte, the group Los Chichos, the Primavera Sound Music Festival, the Rafael Alberti bookstore, actor Luis Tosar, and graffiti artist Jesús Manuel Pinto García, better known as Suso 33.

In her final press conference as Government Spokesperson and Minister, Pilar Alegría expressed her gratitude to journalists and described her time in both positions as an "absolute privilege" and a "true honour".

Non official translation