The barriers between politics and science have ceased to exist in Spain: from the scarce presence of scientific advisers in congressional committees to events such as the fragmented management of the Covid pandemic. To reverse this situation, Oficina C was created in 2021, one of the few projects to have parliamentary consensus and whose mission is to act as a bridge between science and the Congress of Diputados. Motivated by their inspiration, these people from the scientific world covered bicycle panels for a week, in the company of their peers, with the aim of addressing research and legislation in the fourth edition of this participation programme.
Representative Tish Siddi from SUMAR highlighted the importance of this integration to highlight the perspective of the researchers in their second participation in the programme. “This is an opportunity to bring positions closer together and establish a common relationship between scholars and legislators,” he says. The Sahrawi activist warned of the dangers facing two areas in the face of anti-science rhetoric and the spread of misinformation. “In Congress, we hear denialist rhetoric and openly question the work of science. We see this hostility when a politician presents scientific data, which is often met with disdain,” he criticizes.
Her partner, Francesca Favaro, is an M.D. and science communicator. For her, one of the keys to activism is understanding effective channels and platforms for conveying complete information to non-specialized audiences. “The main obstacle is communication, but they are trying to remove it through this direct approach, which I think is essential,” he points out.
The programme, presented as an exercise in dialogue, evades the idea of being merely a symbolic exhibition that has no real impact on parliamentary activity and support because it “better understands parliamentary work, which often leads to darkness for both citizens and personal researchers”, explains Izascon Lacunza, Director General of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (Fecyt).
Lacunza explains that the process of selecting researchers is based on criteria of diversity and sensitivity of science applied to public policy. The Call of Oficina C, inaugurated in 2021, leads to an agreement between Cámara Baja and Fecyt, to evaluate geographical, gender, discipline and age representation, as well as the willingness of candidates to contribute to the parliamentary debate without focusing exclusively on corporate demands. After evaluating the applications, the Advisory Board selects the ten participants. This year, Angel Molina Garcia, professor of electrical engineering; Laura Castro Santos, who specializes in technical and economic analysis of marine renewable energy; Ignacio Alvarez Arca, Assistant Professor at the University of Malaga; and Cristina Madrid Lopez, an expert on the environmental and social impacts of the energy transition, among others.
The politicians were selected after voluntarily presenting themselves through parliamentary groups, including the Ultra Vox party, with MP Jacobo González Rubato. In this edition, letters from Congress have also been incorporated, a move that seeks to highlight professionals who support legislative work and have thus far remained in the background.
The idea of governments turning to experts to guide their policies is not new. In other countries there are standardized experiences for this type of workshop. In the United Kingdom, the Government Office for Science plays a similar role, and in Estonia European Cohesion Funds have been used to integrate science advisors into ministries.
Talks about energy
Representative Pilar Calvo, from Junts per Catalunya, was among other participants in the activity. For her, her experience with Mónica Aguado, Director of the Grid, Storage and Hydrogen Integration Department at the National Center for Renewable Energies (Cener), was fundamental to understanding the challenges facing the Spanish energy system.
Calvo highlights the need to understand the bottom line of how citizens’ critical questions are managed. Together with Aguado, they analyzed the stability of the electrical system, a particularly sensitive issue after a power outage in Spain last April. “Since the power outage, an enhanced operating model has been chosen. It relies on nuclear, combined cycle and hydropower to ensure grid stability and prevent a similar situation from happening again,” explains the MP. For her, these spaces of cooperation allow her to make more informed parliamentary decisions.
In Aguado’s view, the relationship between science and policy is crucial, especially in technological sectors where progress requires solid normative frameworks and strategic vision. “The electrical system must evolve towards a new model if we want to achieve the energy transition goals between 2030 and 2050,” he says. In your opinion, direct dialogue with legislators is necessary so that public decisions are accompanied by this transformation and not affected by it.
For Laura Castro, a scientist specializing in marine renewable energy, these theories can be based on contradictory data and evidence. He points out that science should not be isolated in academia, but rather “serve as a practical tool to improve legislative decision-making.”
Economist Araceli Rodriguez, a professor at the University of Valladolid, shares similar thoughts about her involvement. His interests centered on observing how science forms part of parliamentary processes related to putative politics. “I would like to know how science is used in public spending or economic decision-making,” he comments. For her, this experience is an opportunity to explain to political leaders what scientific research is, how teachers and researchers work and how they can contribute to improving their work.