The Diplomat
The Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation have signed a cooperation agreement for the promotion of scientific and technological initiatives in Ibero-America.
The agreement, which was signed last Friday by the secretary general of the OEI, Mariano Jabonero, and the Minister of Science and Technology, Diana Morant, at the headquarters of this international organization in Madrid, “marks the roadmap of a collaboration that will focus on aspects of importance for the region,” including the development of projects that help improve the science and technology systems of the countries, the organization said in a press release. “These initiatives will have an impact on improving public management in research, innovation and knowledge transfer in the region,” the OEI continued.
During the signing ceremony, Mariano Jabonero thanked the Spanish government for its support and offered the OEI’s experience in the region to undertake joint projects to strengthen scientific cooperation between Ibero-American countries. Minister Morant, for her part, ratified Spain’s “total and absolute” support to make the region’s scientific work visible and “contribute with all its working instruments to research in Ibero-America”.
The agreement also provides for boosting Spain’s support for the scientific publications produced by the OEI, especially those carried out by the Observatory of Science, Technology and Society, based in Buenos Aires, as well as the Ibero-American Network of Science and Technology Indicators (RICYT), in which all Latin American countries participate, plus Spain and Portugal, and whose objective is to promote the development and use of instruments for the measurement and analysis of science in Ibero-America for decision making based on current and quality data.
This alliance will also seek to encourage initiatives that promote scientific and technological vocations, especially among girls and adolescents, while vindicating the role of women in Ibero-American science.