The House of Representatives gave it last Friday Half a penalty, With 189 votes in favor, two negative and zero abstaining, in Project from The National Science, Technology and Innovation System Funding Act.

This initiative, among other benefits to the sector, creates a gradual increase in the science budget, with a goal Reach 1% of GDP by 2032. But what is the amount currently allocated to the sector and how has it changed in recent years?

The data Officials make it clear that investing in the purpose of “science and technology” – that is, all the expenditures that the state incurs in connection with science, regardless of which ministry does so – Sharp increase between 2004 and 2015: its share of GDP nearly doubledSince 2004 it was 0.18% and finished 2015 0.35% of the product.

However, That number has decreased in recent years and the presidency of Mauricio Macri ended in 2019 with an investment of 0.23% of GDP, the lowest level since 2006..

If spending on science is analyzed in relation to total spending, then there has also been a deterioration in recent years. In 2020, Alberto Fernandez’s first year, it accounted for 0.95% of the budget General for the nation in effect (not the country’s GDP) and has been the lowest percentage in recent decades.

By 2021, according to the latest budgetIt will rise to 1.13%, which is still low compared to the peak it reached in 2009 when it reached 1.62%.

in addition to, The science budget items have also decreased in real termsThat is, eliminating inflation and analyzing the purchasing power of these budgets: in 2020, according to the official estimate, the real budget is roughly 32% Less than 2015.

As shown in This noteAnd the The decline in funding for the sector has meant that salaries for researchers in 2020 were the lowest in more than 15 years If analyzed in real terms.