On June 6th 2016, their Majesties the King and Queen received in the RoyalZarzuelaPalace the directors and representatives of the 33 centres and units which have been awarded the most important institutional recognition for scientific research in Spain, the "Severo Ochoa"centres and the "María de Maeztu" units. Rafael Rebolo attended this reception as Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), representing this "Severo Ochoa" Centre of Excellence whose award was renewed last year. The Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, spoke of the importance of these centres and units for advancing knowledge in Spain.
These distinctions have been awarded since 2011 after a process of scientific evaluation carried out by researchers and scientific committees in three areas: life science and medicine, experimental science, mathematics and engineering, humanities and the social sciences. The centres and units which obtained the award stand out for the international impact of their research, for their capacity for innovation and for the intensity of their relationships with the social and economic environment. They are also reference centres at world level, capable of attracting international talent.
Since 2014, the awards and the investments which recognize the excellence in resarch in our country have been augmented by a new type of distinction with the name of the "María de Maeztu" awards, whose aim is to give recognition as excellent to entities which are smaller than the Severo Ochoa centres, and are not independent juridically, but are part of larger organizations, notably within universities.
Last October, the Ministry of Economics and Competitivity announced the names of those research centres and units chosen in the last round of awards, in which the IAC was given a four year renewal of its "Severo Ochoa" award, first given in 2011.
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