page_title: Ministry of Science (Spain)
section_title: Democracy
hierarchical_section_title: Ministry of Science (Spain) / History / Democracy
caption_attribution_description: English: Pedro Duque, spanish astronaut. Español: Pedro Duque, astronauta español.
context_page_description: The Ministry of Science and Innovation is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for developing and implementing the government policy on scientific research, technological development and innovation in all sectors. In particular, MICINN is responsible for the exercise of research, technological development and innovation competencies in space matters, including representation and participation in European Union and International organizations.
  MICINN is headed by the Minister of Science, who is appointed by the King of Spain at request of the Prime Minister. The Minister is assisted by three main officials, the Secretary-General for Research, the Secretary-General for Innovation and the Ministry's Under Secretary. The current Science Minister is astronaut Pedro Duque.
  The first predecessor of this ministry was established during the regency of Maria Christina of Austria with the creation of the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, formed by Royal Decree of the April 18, 1900. The first minister was Antonio García Alix. This ministry included an area for the "promotion of science".
context_section_description: This new ministry assumed the functions of the Secretary of State for Universities and Research that had been created in 1977 within the Ministry of Education and Science, and other administrative bodies of scientific competence, as well as some bodies dependent on the Office of the Prime Minister. In 1980 the National Museum of Science and Technology was created and in 1986 the Carlos III Health Institute and the Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research.
  Without reaching two years of life, the Ministry was merged again with the Education Ministry and, with different denominations, remained so until in 2000, when the Premier José María Aznar, created the Ministry of Science and Technology that grouped the competences on scientific research of the Ministry of Education, and the competences on technological development of the Ministry of Industry and Energy, including telecommunications; retaining the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport the universities responsibilities.
  After four years without much success, the ministry was reinstated in the Education Ministry by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero who recovered the old name of Ministry of Education and Science. However, in his second term Zapatero again granted ministerial rank to scientific competencies with the Ministry of Science and Innovation in order to depend less "on the construction and more outstanding services of knowledge, invest more in science and technology, help to companies to innovate and coordinate universities and research centers». However, the dependence on construction did not stop and with the outbreak of the property bubble and the subsequent economic crisis made the following government, led by Mariano Rajoy, in an effort to reduce public spending, reduced the size of the Administration merging the Ministry of Science and Innovation with the Ministry of Economy. During the premiership of Rajoy, the State Research Agency was created.
  Already with a better economic situation, the new government of Pedro Sánchez recovered the Department of Science including not only the scientific and innovation competencies, but also recovering for this Ministry the responsibilities on universities that the Ministry already had under the premiership of Adolfo Suarez, naming as Science Minister astronaut Pedro Duque.
  In 2020, the department lost its power over universities due to the re-creation of the Department of Universities.
caption: Pedro Duque, current Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities.
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