CSIC
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is a State Agency for scientific research and technological development that has a separate legal personality, its own patrimony and treasury, functional and managerial autonomy, and indefinite duration. (Article 1. Estatuto)
Mission
History
Legal Framework
Presidency
Organizational Chart
Governing Council
Advisory and support bodies
Institutes, centres, units
Institutional Relations
Action Plans
The CSIC's Annual Reports
The CSIC in figures
Transparency
CSIC is an institution included within the subjective scope of application of the Act 19/2013 of transparency, access to public information and good government.
Women and Science
Equality in the CSIC
CSIC Ethics Committee
Scientific Integrity and Good Practises
Ethics in Research
Data Protection
The CSIC is a public body that generally acts as responsible for the treatment of personal data, and therefore, following the principle of proactive responsibility, has the duty of care as established by the General Data Protection Regulation and the Ley 3/2018, 5th December, Protection of Personal Data and the Guarantee of Digital Rights
Research
Research in the CSIC is structured in three main areas, SOCIETY, LIFE AND MATERIA which cover most of the human knowledge, with more than 1,500 research groups and 120 centres devoted to them.
Global Area: LIFE
Global Area: MATERIA
Global Area: SOCIETY
Institutes, centres & units
CSIC mainly develops its scientific and technical activity through its research institutes, which are organized in departments integrated by research groups.
Research Groups
CSIC scientific staff is organized into more than 1,500 groups that are integrated into the three Global Areas, Society, Life and Materia.
Researchers
Serving CSIC Scientific staff
Research Projects
CSIC scientific and technician staff obtain funds for research projects through competitive public calls from different national and international funding agencies and private entities.
The preamble to the Organic Law 3/2007, 22 March 2007, on the Effective equality of women and men, mentions Article 14 of the Spanish Constitution, which proclaims the right to equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of sex.
RDI Unit associated to CSIC
Within the possibilities of collaboration of the CSIC with other RDI agents, the figure of the RDI Unit associated to CSIC is a formula that allows the articulation, in a temporary and flexible way, scientific collaborations between research staff from CSIC and that of external entities integrated in those units.
Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures
Large European Scientific-Technological Infraestructures and Facilities
Other Research Support Infraestructures
Catalogue of scientific-technical services
The CSIC, over the lifetime, has provided different scientific and technical services, which has turned some of its centers into referents. In addition to this, its Statute as a State Agency mandates, as one of its main duties the offering of scientific-technical services to the General State Administration as well as to other Public and private Administrations and Institutions.
Innovation and Enterprise
The CSIC aims to bring closer its capabilities, scientific and technological achievements to all national and international socio-economic sectors to transform them in social, economic and cultural well-being for society.
RDI results protection
CSIC protects the results generated by its research groups and staff as a function of the result peculiarity, using different formats from the most common, the patent, to some less known, such as industrial secrecy; registration of plant varieties or biological material and utility models or software, among others.
RDI contracts
CSIC signs different types of contracts with companies interested in CSC capabilities, research lines or technologies.
Marketing of RDI products
All the technologies obtained in the CSIC’s laboratories, previously registered and protected, constitute the CSIC's technological offer portfolio.
Start-up companies
The start-up companies are a key instrument for the transfer of knowledge generated in public research organizations, such CSIC, translating research results into products on the market and promoting the creation of a more innovative industrial sector.
Technological offer portfolio
CSIC has specific technological results protected in very different ways, among which the patent prevails. The collaboration with companies interested in a protected asset can be realized in two different ways:
International
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) scientific production should be in leading positions of a highly competitive international scientific environment. This is the main reason why the CSIC's relations with other international research entities are an essential point for the CSIC's progress.
Framework Programme for Research and Innovation in the European Union
Horizon 2020 is the eighth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation in the European Union for the period 2014-2020. It has a budget of more than 70.000 million euros to finance initiatives and projects of research, technological development, demonstration and innovation of clear European added value.
ERC & MSCA
The main instruments for the development and attraction of talent to the European Union (EU) are the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC) calls.
Other European Initiatives
The role of the CSIC in the articulation of the European Research Area is expressed not only through participation in regular calls for Horizon 2020, but also through participation in other community calls, financed through the Framework Program or other Programs, which due to their strategic relevance to the CSIC deserve special mention.
International Cooperation and Resources
Within the promotion of internationalization, the Vice Presidency for International Relations (VRI) carries out activities to disclose opportunities and supports our researchers in competitive calls from third countries.
International Agreements
From the Vice-presidency for International Relations (VRI), collaboration agreements with institutions of third countries are managed and processed. Nowadays relations with our counterparts in other countries are managed mainly through the organization of workshop-type training activities.
European Strategy Forum on Research Infraestructures (ESFRI)
CSIC in Europe
Vice-presidency for International Relations
The International Affairs of the CSIC, understood as those actions aimed at leading, planning and promotion of international relations in the European and international area; leading strategy, coordination and monitoring of CSIC's participation in competitive calls and co-management of programs at European and international level, and leading the management of contracts with international organizations, are coordinated through the Vice Presidency of International Affairs (VRI) ) of CSIC.
Science and Society
In the CSIC we enjoy science and we love to share it. That is why we promote a large number of initiatives aimed at the popularisation of science, education and citizen science. Our objective is to foster scientific culture and to make science more accessible for everybody.
Scientific Outreach Projects
Travelling Exhibitions
Competitions and Contests
Scientific Dissemination Apps
Museum and scientific outreach venues
The CSIC has various centres of reference for science outreach located in the main Spanish cities. Exhibitions, workshops, conferences and other activities aimed at all publics are part of the regular programming in these places.
Scientific Outreach Books
More than a hundred publications in which CSIC specialists in all areas of knowledge bring closer to citizenship scientific topics of public interest in a clear and rigorous way.
Citizen Science
Science does not need to be done only by professionals. Participate in scientific research through the collection and analysis of data and sharing resources.
Didactics of Science
CSIC centres, units and research projects bring closer science and technology to students and teachers of different levels through various programmes and initiatives.
Strategies and policies of scientific culture
CSIC organises courses and training meetings for people interested in the dissemination of science, prepares documents aimed at promoting scientific culture and participates in projects and initiatives aimed at assessing the impact of social communication on science.
Editorial CSIC
Editorial CSIC has an extensive catalogue of prestigious academic publications, including more than 2,500 titles of monographs organised in 75 collections, and 37 scientific journals.
Editorial CSIC has in this catalogue a careful selection of works not included in these collections.
Training and employment
The are many alternatives for joining and working in the CSIC: to do it as a researcher, it is required to be in possession of the title of doctor; as a researcher in training, through a predoctoral contract; as technician, supporting research directly in its diverse modalities; or as a technician responsible for the administrative management.
Why joining CSIC?
CSIC is a unique research institution in Spain, which society recognizes and values. In addition to its thematic diversity in the research activity and its large human capital, its geographical presence throughout the Spanish territory as well as its singular infrastructures should be highlighted.
Postdoctoral Professional Career
Around 11,000 people work and do research in CSIC. Around 25% are researchers in training who do their doctorate and continue their career focused on the postdoctoral stage performing research projects under the direction of CSIC researchers.
Labour Exchange
CSIC’s Labour Exchange is the selection mechanism to access ttemporary jobs linked to research projects, agreements and contracts.
Training of research personnel
The Department for Postgraduate and Specialisa¬tion (DPE) contributes to define and implement the agency's policy regarding the training of research personnel.
