Ministry drafts bill to increase tech spending

Colombia's science and technology ministry is preparing to send a bill to congress in October that would increase government science and technology investment to about 0.6% of gross domestic product (GDP), La Republica reported. Current spending is about US$326mn a year, or 0.4% of GDP, and the bill would increase spending by 0.2%, or an extra US$163mn, a year, ministry director María del Rosario Guerra was quoted as saying. She did not give details as to where this extra spending would come from. "Other countries" invest 1.5-2.5% of their GDP, Guerra said, without providing details. "We know this is not easy [for the government] but we must focus on the long term. "We are going to try to get [congress] to recognize the support the sector gives to socio-economic development, and to reducing regional economic disparities," she added. The ministry itself expects to receive about 74bn pesos (today US$26mn) this year, of which 42bn pesos comes from the government, 17bn pesos from the healthcare fund and 15bn pesos from state technical education agency Sena.