Presentation
You have, in this Plan, the principal policy instrument of this Government for realising the aim of developing a knowledge-based economy. In recent years, Catalonia has laid the groundwork for a scientifically competitive reputation, but more effort is needed in a range of areas. On the one hand, a greater public commitment in terms of funding for research is required, a commitment which is already evident in the budget allocations of the Ministry of Universities, Research and the Information Society. On the other hand, knowledge of the best possible quality has to be both generated and transferred, and although it is the role of the players in the system to produce and make such knowledge available, the Government, through this Plan, has made a firm undertaking to provide the necessary infrastructures in the form of research centres, science and technology parks, and a university knowledge transfer consortium. These efforts will realise the combined potential of the triple helix composed of universities and research centres, private enterprises, and Government ministries and authorities, which together constitute the genuine backbone of a knowledge-based society.
Carles Solà i Ferrando
Minister for Universities, Research and the Information Society
1st Vice-President of CIRIT
The Catalan economy has seen profound changes in its productive model in recent years, but needs to build on these changes in order to be more competitive in the new international economic context.
Innovation is essential to competitiveness, and private sector enterprises need to take it into account in their products, processes and organisational structures. Likewise, innovation enables the development of human resource potential and improvements in working conditions, ultimately guaranteeing greater adaptability to change and enhanced professional development.
This Plan provides an overall vision of the Government’s research and innovation strategy, and coordinates support to the agents playing key roles in its development. It will encourage private enterprises, research centres, universities and the local and regional authorities to come together in a joint endeavour that will ensure that Catalonia figures among the leading economies of Europe.
Josep Maria Rañé i Blasco
Minister for Employment and Industry
2nd Vice-President of CIRIT
As one of the Vice-Presidents of CIRIT, I am proud to witness the presentation of Catalonia’s first, integrated Research and Innovation Plan. And as Minister for Health, I cannot fail to feel satisfaction at the fact that, for the first time, my Ministry is acknowledged as a relevant element in the research and innovation system of this country. This hardly comes as a surprise, however, given that research into biomedicine and the health sciences features as a priority research area for Catalonia, with biotechnology and pharmaceuticals identified as key sectors with a high growth potential. It is only by having an overall vision of agents as a system that a dynamic growth-and-learning feedback cycle can be created that will ensure the kind of sustainable economic development that will bring social cohesion and wellbeing to Catalonia. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of both those who developed this Plan and those who will implement it, and express my sincerest gratitude to them.
Marina Geli i Fàbrega
Minister for Health
3rd Vice-President of CIRIT
