The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, He has undertaken a trip to Antarctica where he will meet with scientists who work at the XXXVIII Spanish Antarctic Research campaign, which hosts a total of 28 research projects Global and environmental challenges such as climate change, volcanology and microplastic pollution.
Morant will visit the Spanish Antarctic Bases ‘Juan Carlos I’ and ‘Gabriel de Castilla’in which the works of the new scientific module advance, which include the construction of an Iberian clean laboratory, together with Portugal, and that will predictably end in 2026.
He will also travel aboard the three Spanish oceanographic ships than by First time they will coincide in Antarctic Waters: the ‘Hesperides’, the ‘Sarmiento de Gamboa’ and the ‘Good Odón’. Specifically, the ‘Odón de Buen’ ship, the largest oceanographic ship of the Spanish fleet and the most advanced in our country, will perform different ice tests, since it is the only Spanish ship with polar classification (PC7) that allows it to navigate both in Antarctica and the Arctic with an annual ice coverage.
Spain and scientific production
Minister Morant stressed that the activity of our country in Antarctica is not only a commitment to the present, but an investment of the future. “We will continue promoting Spanish polar science, ensuring that our researchers have the necessary media and support To continue contributing to global research, ”he said.
Morant has stressed that “Spain has consolidated its leadership in polar researchbeing among the top 10 countries of the world in scientific production in Antarctica thanks to the effort and excellence of our scientific community, which has been contributing to global knowledge about this unique continent. ”
Women and girl’s day in science
On the occasion of Women and Girls in Science, which is celebrated every February 11, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) will celebrate the meeting “Women and girls day in science: awakening Steam 2025 vocations from Antarctica”.
Minister Morant, together with Spanish scientists from three projects of the Antarctic research campaign, will maintain a telematic dialogue with students from three Spanish public educational centers: the IES Lope de Vega (Madrid), the IES Enric Value (Valencia) and The CEIP Santa Cecilia (Burgos).
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE MEETING It will be to make visible female referents among the youngest so that they know closely the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematicsand the possibilities that collaborative work between the different disciplines of knowledge.
Bilateral meeting in Chile
Within the framework of her trip to Antarctica, Morant is also planned Eischeverrywith whom he will address Strategic issues in the field of scientific-technological collaboration between both countries.
During the trip, the minister will be accompanied by the General Secretary of Research of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), Eva Ortegaand the president of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Eloísa del Pino.
XXXVIII Spanish Antarctic Research campaign
The XXXVIII Spanish Antarctic Research campaign, which began at the end of December 2024 and will end in March 2025, is coordinated by the Spanish Polar Committee of the Ministry and has the participation of about 300 people among scientists, scientific, technical staff and logistics support.
The MICIU finances with about 18.5 million euros the scientific infrastructure of this campaign, 9% more than the previous year. Also, the AEI finances 21 research projects for a total amount of 4.6 million euros in this campaign. In addition to the Spanish projects, in which scientists and scientists of other nationalities, the staff and the bases of our campaign will participate lend logistical support to projects in Portugal, Germany and Italy.
The bases ‘Gabriel de Castilla’ and ‘Juan Carlos I’, together with the ‘Hesperides’ and ‘Sarmiento de Gamboa’ research ships, are part of the Spanish map of unique scientific and technological infrastructure (ICTS). This guarantees its access to the entire scientific community and allows Spain to have avant -garde infrastructure for research in polar regions.