Spending on science is set to increase for the first time since 2009 under Spain’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal. The country’s R&D budget had declined 39%, excluding inflation, over the five-year period. Nondefense R&D spending would rise 6.1%, while defense R&D spending would increase 39.5% to make up for two consecutive years of declines. A total of €6.139 billion ($8.31 billion) would be allocated for loans, and €2.25 billion would go to grants and subsidies for nondefense R&D. The national research council’s budget would rise 0.1% and the budget for the Ciemat energy research center would grow 0.9%. The biomedical research–focused Instituto Carlos III and INIA, which does agriculture research, would receive budget increases of 10.8% and 4.4%, respectively. However, the budget for the IGME, which conducts geological and mining research, would decline 0.6%. The budget must be approved by the parliament and the senate, which are each controlled by the ruling party.

Source: Nature