Spanish science poised on cliff edge

Scientists in Spain are growing restless over the impact of continuous cuts to funds and staffing at universities, following a report praising the country’s science.

The report, published on 12 June, found that research productivity among professors at Spanish universities doubled between 2010 and 2015. But researchers have said that this success is likely to drop sharply as the impact of strenuous cuts takes hold.

“Spanish universities have relied on the funding they accumulated before 2008,” said Elías Sanz, an information studies researcher at Carlos III University of Madrid and the report’s lead author. “When the crisis started, there were a lot of projects already underway and their completion has buoyed up productivity.”