The rectors of the University of La Laguna, Francisco J. García Rodríguez, and of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lluís Serra Majem, have sent today, Wednesday, July 1, a comprehensive letter to the groups represented in the Parliament of the Canary Islands with their considerations regarding the Canary Islands Science Bill, “with the utmost institutional respect” and recognizing “the work carried out during the parliamentary phase”.
The university rectors signed this document because they believe that, having reviewed the draft legislation, some modifications are warranted that, «without altering the overall structure of the project, would decisively strengthen its coherence, legal certainty, sustainability, and capacity to respond to the real needs of the Canary Islands' science, technology, and innovation system.” The rectors acknowledge that this “ambitious” regulation must recognize the diversity of the Canary Islands' R&D&I ecosystem, but “also adequately reflect where the majority of scientific knowledge is generated in the Canary Islands,” namely, the public universities.
Even in the preamble to the legal text, university rectors are concerned that it offers “a limited view of the science developed in the Canary Islands” and the role it plays in society. In their view, “science should not be justified almost exclusively by its contribution to productivity, competitiveness, or economic growth. Without denying the extraordinary importance of these objectives, research is much more than an instrument at the service of economic development. It is an essential activity for the advancement of knowledge, the education of individuals, critical thinking, culture, health, sustainability, social cohesion, and a society's capacity to understand and address the great challenges of its time.”.
Another concern expressed by the university rectors relates to the excessive emphasis placed on artificial intelligence, which in the text has a “unique and distinct presence” due to the existence of a specific title dedicated to it. “It is one thing to recognize the strategic importance of artificial intelligence, as should also be done with other areas in which the Canary Islands has proven strengths; and quite another to anchor the legal framework of the scientific system to a specific technology. Canarian science must be able to evolve flexibly towards the fields that are most relevant at any given time, without the law itself introducing a pre-established normative hierarchy among disciplines, technologies, or sectors of knowledge.”.
The university rectors are also requesting a reconsideration of the composition of the Canary Islands Advisory Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation as proposed by the law, since in its current form it does not proportionately reflect the objective weight of the two public universities. “It is difficult to justify that the University of La Laguna and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria each have only two representatives with voting rights on a body whose voting membership is broad and heterogeneous. This is not about demanding a privileged position. It is about ensuring that the composition of the Advisory Council reflects the reality of the Canary Islands science system.”.
García and Serra also raise concerns about the creation of the Canary Islands Research Foundation proposed by the law, since its functions appear to coincide with and overlap those of existing structures, “especially ACIISI and the universities themselves through their research services, management units, and Knowledge Transfer Offices.” In addition to the risk of functional duplication, this new foundation would require extra funding “in a context where stable resources for already identified structural priorities remain unguaranteed.”.
The full letter can be downloaded at this link
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