With the support of all parliamentary groups, the Chamber of Deputies today approved with the force of law the text that establishes the set of policies for the science and technology system for the next decade, outlining the 10 national challenges and the R&D+I strategies to address them.
The document was proposed by the MinCyT after collaborative work with provinces, regions, organizations of the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation (SNCTI), and discussion with stakeholders from other areas.
It defines, organizes and communicates the set of policies, strategies and instruments for all public and private actors and agents that make up the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation (SNCTI).
“The 2030 Plan will define the future of Argentine science and technology for the coming years and it is important that it has been addressed and handled with this commitment,” highlighted the head of the MinCyT, Daniel Filmus.
The minister said that the plan “is a medium- and long-term policy that should not be tied to electoral calendars” and highlighted the unanimous support that the initiative had in both legislative chambers: “We have held more than 50 meetings with entities linked to the universe of S&T to discuss the project and it has had many modifications with respect to the original project since there were substantive contributions. “We are proud of the work that has been done,” he said.
The president of the CNEA, Adriana Serquis, expressed herself in similarly, pointing out that “the possibility of demonstrating that science should be state policy has been opened up.” And he added: “Having achieved this in this context, where there is just confrontation and confusion, is impressive and has a lot to do with the Planning Secretary of the MinCyT, Diego Hurtado, who is also ad honorem vice president of the CNEA.”
Asked about the significance of the sanction of the law, the Secretary of Planning of the MinCyT, Diego Hurtado, pointed out "that it is a milestone to have a National Plan for science and technology, for several reasons, but the most important is its medium- and long-term vision, regardless of who governs Argentina. He also highlighted that "it accompanies provincial development plans and, finally, that it incorporates the dimension of the world of work."
At this point, Hurtado explained that historically we talk about science, technology and production and this adds the dimension of work. "That is why the CGT, the two CTAs, organizations of the popular economy, and the Central of National Business Entities joined in its preparation. The National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation explicitly places the dimension of the world of work as a socially relevant actor in the formulation and contribution to knowledge production agendas," he said.
The role of the nuclear sector and the CNEA
“The CNEA can be an organization that leads the energy transition in Argentina,” said the Secretary of Planning and Policies of Science, Technology and Innovation, Diego Hurtado, on the occasion of the presentation of the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 2030 that took place on November 17 last year at the Constituent Atomic Center (CAC).
The energy transition is one of the ten national challenges posed by the Plan. In reference to it, Hurtado commented at the time that "in its own right the nuclear sector has earned a place of relevance as an alternative and clean energy, but also as an example to understand what path to follow in order for the energy transition to be a vector of industrialization and the generation of growing autonomous capacities, thinking ten, twenty and thirty years ahead for a country like Argentina."
Finally, Hurtado highlighted that “the nuclear sector shows with its path over decades how it managed to diversify, generating both public or mixed companies and SMEs with specialized training, and today we can speak of a nuclear ecosystem, which we would need to reproduce in some other technological corridors.”
