Fed up with dwindling autonomy and a seeming lack of government support for science, Rolf Tarrach quit in February as president of the Con-sejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), a network of about 115 research institutions across Spain. A theoretical high-energy physicist, Tarrach has returned to his post at the University of Barcelona.
Tarrach assumed the presidency about two and a half years ago, soon after oversight of the CSIC was moved from the education ministry to the newly created science and technology ministry. At the time, says Tarrach, “there was hope—that’s why I accepted the position—that the new ministry would mean a boost in research, more positions, more resources, more money. But that has not been the case at all.”
For example, Tarrach lobbied to raise the salaries of CSIC scientists, who are paid 7–10% less than university scientists, he says. The disparity stems from the decentralization of and...
