A national project positioned in the European market. A strategic alliance bringing together the four Spanish excellence campuses working in the marine and maritime fields. A future opportunity that opens doors for growth at a challenging time for the global economy. A proposal, at last, aiming to create synergies, optimize resources, and enhance the value of marine knowledge, in which 14 Spanish universities are leading.
These are the objectives of the CEI.MarNet network, which brings together Campus do Mar (universities of Vigo, Santiago, and A Coruña), Campus Mare Nostrum (universities of Murcia and Polytechnic University of Cartagena), Campus Atlántico Tricontinental (universities of Las Palmas and La Laguna), and CEIMAR (universities of Cádiz, Málaga, Huelva, Almería, and Granada).
After a year of work since its launch in Cádiz in January 2012, the constitutive meeting was held this Thursday in Vigo, where the network’s Governing Council was elected, with the University of Vigo rector, Salustiano Mato, as its head, and the Director of Campus do Mar, Emilio Fernández, as responsible for the network’s overall coordination.
Alongside Mato, Eduardo González Mazo, rector of the University of Cádiz; José Antonio Franco, rector of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena; José Regidor, rector of the University of Las Palmas; and José Antonio Cobacho, rector of the University of Murcia held an initial meeting also attended by Carmen Vela, Secretary of State for Research, Development, and Innovation, and José Alberto Díez de Castro, Secretary General of Universities.
As explained in a press conference, CEI.MarNet is a partnership aimed at strengthening the international projection of these excellence campuses, promoting collaboration and mutual learning among the institutions involved, and establishing a program of joint actions. Some 10,000 researchers are part of this new network, which, according to Salustiano Mato, “will have a biennial rotating presidency” and will kick off next week with a meeting in Vigo of the directors of the four excellence campuses to launch concrete actions that are already in the works.
Support from the Xunta and the Ministry
Regarding the presence of the Secretary of State for Research, Carmen Vela, Salustiano Mato explained that it served to establish a strategic alliance with the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, with the objective that “the network becomes the reference for the ministry in all areas covered by the National Research and Innovation Plan in the marine and maritime field”. The meeting also served to advance the establishment of a strategy for the network and its research potential to become the driving force enabling the Iberian Peninsula to lead the marine axis movement, promoting it as a growth engine for Europe in times of crisis. This is concretely reflected in measures such as CEI.MarNet’s presence in relevant Mineco commissions in the marine field, including, as the rector of Cádiz, Eduardo González Mazo, highlighted, “the optimization of the use of oceanographic vessels for both research and teaching,” as well as the launch of several joint doctoral and master’s programs.
For his part, the Secretary General of Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro, emphasized the role of the excellence campuses themselves and highlighted that “terms which, through repetition, seem to lose their value—such as specialization, synergies, cooperation, visibility, or internationalization—can be transformed into something tangible through the CEIs”. Díez de Castro added that the excellence campuses also set the path of specialization that universities and their campuses should follow, stressing that they should be regarded as “keys to overcoming the crisis, by raising living standards, creating jobs, and adding value to the socio-economic environment—something for which we must congratulate the universities”. He concluded by noting that the support from the Xunta de Galicia for the CEIs is reflected, on one hand, in specific postgraduate calls, and in the inclusion in the current Funding Plan of an indicator linked to the recognition level of the CEIs, which in 2013 will allow the distribution of €4.5 million, an amount expected to double in 2015.
Approval of the operational document
At this meeting, the operational document of CEI.MarNet was approved, which includes eight working groups, each coordinated by an excellence campus: Strategic R&D Projects (CEI Atlántico Tricontinental); R&D Infrastructure Coordination (CEIMAR); Doctoral Programs (Campus do Mar); Master’s Program Coordination (CEIMAR); Technology Transfer (Campus Mare Nostrum); Employability (Campus do Mar); Internationalization (Campus Mare Nostrum); and Outreach and Social Engagement (CEI Atlántico Tricontinental). The critical mass of researchers spans a wide range of marine studies, from navigation and shipbuilding to aquaculture, coastal management, heritage knowledge, and the search for new energy sources. Other advantages discussed included the exchange of faculty and researchers, the implementation of joint academic programs, and the joint acquisition of resources.
The five rectors all emphasized the importance of establishing this network, as it highlights the specialization and unique strengths of these 14 universities in the marine field. They also wanted to underscore the role of public universities in the Spanish science and research system and called for support “to make ourselves recognized in Europe,” in the words of the rector of Murcia, who added that the intention is to expand the network in the future to include organizations such as the CSIC or the IEO.
Source DUVI
