The Spanish National Research Council ( es, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Its main objective is to develop and promote research that will help bring about scientific and technological progress, and it is prepared to collaborate with Spanish and foreign entities in order to achieve this aim. CSIC plays an important role in scientific and technological policy, since it encompasses an area that takes in everything from basic research to the transfer of knowledge to the productive sector. Its research is driven by its centres and institutes, which are spread across all the autonomous regions. CSIC has 6% of all the staff dedicated to research and development in Spain, and they generate approximately 20% of all scientific production in the country. It also manages a range of important facilities; the most complete and extensive network of specialist libraries, and also has joint research units. Significant latest research by CSIC is the Temperature and Winds for InSight (TWINS) module, which is a component of NASA's ''

InSight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...

'' Mars lander, which landed successfully on November 26, 2018. TWINS will monitor weather at the Mars landing site.

Origins

The CSIC was created in 1939 by the recently victorious

Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

regime from the assets of the ''Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios'' (JAE) (1907–1939), born within the

Institución Libre de Enseñanza La Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE, English: ''The Free Institution of Education''), was an educational project developed in Spain for over half a century (1876–1936). The institute was inspired by the philosophy of Krausism, first introd ...

and inspired in the Krausist philosophy. The initial mandate of the CSIC was to ''restore the classical and Christian unity of the sciences that was destroyed in the 18th century'' ("la restauración de la clásica y cristiana unidad de las ciencias destruida en el siglo XVIII"). From its 1939 foundation to his 1966 death, its head was José María Albareda, one of the first members of the Opus Dei and a close friend of its founder,

Josemaría Escrivá Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest. He founded Opus Dei, an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness ...

. José María Albareda was ordained a priest in 1959, and at his death was succeeded as head of CSIC by Manuel Lora-Tamayo, then the Education minister of

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

Duties

According to the statute's article 5 of CSIC State Agency, the current objectives and functions of the CSIC are: * To carry out scientific and technological research and help to encourage such research, where relevant. * To transfer the results of scientific and technological research to public and private institutions. * To provide scientific-technical services to the General State Administration and public and private institutions. * To boost the creation of technologically based entities and companies. * To help create entities with the ability to oversee the transfer and evaluation of technology. * To train researchers. * To train experts by means of highly specialised courses. * To promote scientific culture in society. * To manage scientific-technical facilities to be used by the scientific research and technological development system. * To participate in international organs and bodies, as requested by the Ministry of Education and Science (the CSIC state agency currently belongs to the Ministry of Science and Innovation). * To participate in national organs and bodies, as requested by the Ministry of Education and Science (the CSIC state agency currently belongs to the Ministry of Science and Innovation). * To participate in designing and implementing the scientific and technological policies of the Ministry of Education and Science (the CSIC state agency currently belongs to the Ministry of Science and Innovation). * To collaborate with other national and international institutions in the promotion and transfer of science and technology, as well as in the creation and development of scientific and technological research centres, institutes and units. * To collaborate with universities in scientific research and technological development activities and in postgraduate education. * To inform, attend and advise public and private entities on science and technology issues. * To train experts in science and technology management. * To collaborate in updating the science and technology knowledge skills of non-university teachers. * To support the execution of the sectorial policies defined by the General State Administration, by preparing technical studies or through applied research activities. * Any other scientific promotion and technological research actions assigned to it by applicable legislation or as commissioned by the Government.

Scientific-technical areas

Its multidisciplinary and multisectorial nature means CSIC covers all fields of knowledge. Its activity is organised around eight scientific-technical areas: * Area 1. humanities and social sciences in 17 centres * Area 2. biology and

biomedical science Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbi ...

in 22 centres * Area 3. natural resources in 24 centres * Area 4. Agricultural sciences in 23 centres * Area 5.

Physical Science Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

and physical technology in 24 centres * Area 6. Materials science and food technology in 13 centres * Area 7.

Food science Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...

and food technology in 8 centres * Area 8.

Chemical science Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties ...

and

chemical technology Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

in 16 centres

Large facilities

Calar_Alto_nevado_tras_el_paso_de_la_tormenta_Filomena_01

CSIC manages the "Singular Scientific and Technological Infrastructures" (ICTS) which are facilities involving relatively high investment and maintenance costs in relation to R&D investment budgets in their field. The science community and society at large can access them, which is justified by their importance and strategic nature, and for this reason they receive each year many national as well as foreign researchers. These large facilities are recognised and supported by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. CSIC administers the following 6 Spanish ICTS facilities: * Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory * Doñana Reserve – Biological Station * Hespérides Oceanic Research Vessel *

Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base, named after the former king of Spain, Juan Carlos I ( es, Base Antártica Española Juan Carlos Primero), is a seasonal (November to March) scientific station operated by Spain, opened in January 1988. Situated on Hu ...

Sarmiento de Gamboa Ocean Research Vessel Sarmiento may refer to: Places Argentina *Sarmiento Department, San Juan, a subdivision of the San Juan Province *Sarmiento Department, Santiago del Estero, a subdivision of the Santiago del Estero Province *Sarmiento Department, Chubut, a subdivi ...

* The Integrated Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room at the

Microelectronics Institute of Barcelona Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture (or microfabrication) of very small electronic designs and components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-sc ...

Spain participates in two large European facilities: *

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) is a joint research facility situated in Grenoble, France, supported by 22 countries (13 member countries: France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, ...

* Max von Laue-Paul Langevin Institute

Research centres

As of January 2018 CSIC listed 139 specialized research centers carrying out research in the above-mentioned eight different fields. File:Instituto_de_Edafología_y_Fisiología_Vegetal_(Madrid)_01.jpg, CSIC's Institute of Edaphology and Vegetable Physiology File:Edificio_CBMSO.jpg, Centro de Biología Molecular - Severo Ochoa File:Archivo_Histórico_Nacional_de_España_(Madrid)_01.jpg, Spanish National Historical Archive File:Centro_de_Ciencias_Humanas_y_Sociales_del_CSIC_(Madrid)_02.jpg, The headquarters of CSIC's Centre for Human and Social Sciences in Madrid File:Observatorio_IRAM_Pico_Veleta.jpg, IRAM Pico Veleta Observatory File:ICMAT_building.JPG, Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas File:Institut_Neurociències-CSIC-UMH.jpg, Neurosciences Institute UMH-CSIC at the Campus of Sant Joan d'Alacan File:Instituto_de_Física_Teórica_UAM-CSIC.jpg, Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC File:Edificio_Rockefeller_Madrid.jpg, The "Rocasolano" Physical Chemistry Institute File:CIB-CSIC.JPG, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas

Literature

* Carlos Martinez Alonso: ''Re-founding the Spanish National Research Council: New Methods, New Culture'', in: Max-Planck-Forum 7 : Perspectives of Research – Identification and Implementation of Research Topics by Organizations (Ringberg-Symposium Mai 2006), S. 59–70, ISSN 1438-8715 Publications of CSIC include: *''Archivo Español de Arqueología'' (AEspA), founded in 1940

In popular culture

The Spanish National Research Council Headquarters serves as the exterior of The Royal Mint of Spain in the Spanish television series '' La Casa De Papel'', also known by its English title '' Money Heist''.

References

External links

*
Spanish Ministry of Science and InnovationRevistas CSIC
Scientific journals published by {{Authority control 1939 establishments in Spain Government agencies established in 1939 Science and technology in Spain Scientific organisations based in Spain Research management Government agencies of Spain