SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 23 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister for Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín, has given a positive evaluation in parliamentary chambers of the inaugural year of the newly established Ministry under her leadership, highlighting the “strong level” of budget implementation in the field of Culture and the “historic” surge in investment by the public universities of the Canary Islands.
Migdalia Machín underscored that a year ago, upon assuming office at the Ministry, the budget execution in the field of Culture stood at 25%, whereas presently the Vice-Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage sees an execution rate of 51.80%, the General Directorate of Culture and Cultural Heritage at 52.55%, and the executed budget of the new General Directorate of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries at 81.50%.
Enumerating significant cultural achievements, the minister highlighted the backing for the development of video games through ventures such as the inaugural professional forum for video games and eSports, ‘Canary Islands Games’; the launch, for the first time in history preceding the summer, of the Canary Islands International Music Festival, which for this edition also extends ticket availability to all the islands, as opposed to just the two capitals previously, “as this aligns with our vision of a Canary Islands fostering equal opportunities,” expressed Migdalia Machín.
Machín also emphasised the augmentation in the direct budget allocation to the two public universities in the Canary Islands, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of La Laguna, totalling 279,455,361 euros, marking an increase of 7,580,732 euros from the preceding year, representing a growth of 2.79% and labelling this allocation “the largest budget in history”.
For the minister, the initiation of the process for the Science Law stands as a core tenet of the portfolio under her charge, affirming the commitment to present it in Parliament before the year’s end. “The new regulatory framework is undergoing a participatory process, evidenced recently by a series of dialogues with the sector where the Law was the focal point of discussion.”
In tandem, the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI) has observed a pronounced upsurge in its budget for 2024, escalating from 71,871,360 euros in 2023 to 90,892,685 euros, translating to a 26.47% hike, amounting to an additional 19,021,325 euros.
This financial ability has facilitated the realisation of ambitious projects like the Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030 in partnership with the Fuerteventura Technology Park, encompassing a 22 million euros contract to develop pioneering solutions for biodiversity conservation and forest fire management, utilising state-of-the-art technology. Additionally, the Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS, envisaged as the premier stratoport in Europe, will streamline operations for pseudo-satellite platforms and drones. These two pioneering ventures position the islands at the forefront of European innovation.
