The OECD pinpoints Spain as one of the countries with greatest participation in scientific publications on COVID-19

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlighted Spain in its latest report as one of the countries to make the most scientific contributions on COVID-19 over the course of 2020.

Specifically, the publication 'OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2021' establishes a list of the 30 countries to make the most scientific contributions on the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, and places our country in third position by number of clinical studies with medicines against COVID-19 and sixth position by number of contributions in scientific publications.

The organisation also acknowledges Spain's efforts to increase resources allocated to R&D+i, the improvement in instruments that support innovative companies and the extension of aid during the toughest months of the health crisis caused by the new coronavirus.

More precisely, the document identifies several of the measures that have been pushed through by the Ministry of Science and Innovation in recent months to provide a response to the labour challenges of researchers in our country. The document states that these include policies geared towards improving the job stability of post-doctoral researchers, which the government has addressed by introducing a new contractual model that allows scientists with temporary employment contracts to aspire to a permanent contract, under a regime on a competitive basis and subject to external evaluations.

The OECD report also praises the increase in funds allocated to R&D+i in Spain, with measures that seek to support researchers, research centres and innovative companies.

The boost given to research, science and innovation, geared towards resolving social challenges, is one of the priorities of the Government of Spain, which last year approved a raft of legislative measures to strengthen the Spanish system of science, technology and research, contained in the Action Plan for Science and Innovation, the Resilience Plan and in the National Budget for 2021, which includes the largest allocation ever given over to direct items related to R&D+i.

Non official translation