Opinion: What Spanish science policy can (and should) learn from the pandemic

PhD researcher Pablo Izquierdo (UCL Biosciences) and his colleagues discuss Spain's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and urge for stronger collaboration between public and private research, as well as more government support for scientific research. The coronavirus has shaken our society and our economy, but also our science. At a time when all eyes are turned to researchers, the pandemic has exposed the chronic problems of our R & D & I system. These hinder the competitiveness of the system and its adaptation to the digital age. They also cause precariousness among their workers. Not in vain, the mobilizations of the research group have re-emerged with force during the summer. From the Society of Spanish Scientists in the United Kingdom (CERU), based on our international experience, we have dedicated this year to analyzing Spanish scientific policy.