A future outlook for Argentine Science

The high standards of research and teaching centres have allowed the local scientific tradition to preserve its prestige and meet the new challenges.

International cooperation is also evident at a basic science level.

Science in Argentina has a history that extends far beyond the listing of its three Nobel lauretes in scientific categories (Bernardo Houssay, Luis Federico Leloir and César Milstein).

The high standards of research and teaching centres have allowed the local scientific tradition to preserve its prestige and meet the new challenges under the driving momentum of the recently created Department for Science, Technology and Productive Innovation.

In addition to the archetypical biochemical and medical research schools, current Argentine science has added the ability and means required to conduct cutting-edge research in areas such as software, nanotechnology, and very recently biotechnology, which applied to the provision of goods and services, or the improvement of productive processes, benefits from tax-cuts and other exemptions granted by the state.

Over the last five years the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (known as CONICET) has signed agreements with technology-based private companies by which these provide 50 % of scientists ´salaries paid by the CONICET The CONICET is the leading institution of national science , with approximately 10.000 scientists distributed along the five categories of the scientific career, (assistant, associate, independent, main and top researcher), or as assistant technicians, or within its fellowship program. The National Agency for Science and Technology Promotion represents another major branch of Argentine science, that for the last 10 years has been financing projects through credits granted by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID).

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