The Balearic Islands, at the back of the pack in R&D investment

PalmThe Balearic Islands are the community that invests the least in Research and Development as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is according to the latest data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), which shows that the Islands are the autonomous community with the lowest percentage of investment in internal R&D, at 0.4%; only ahead of the autonomous city of Ceuta (0.28%, while Melilla reaches 0.47%).

On the other hand, the communities with the highest percentage of expenditure on internal R&D activities (i.e., carried out by public bodies and universities, and not outsourced) as a percentage of GDP were Navarra (2.34% of GDP), the Basque Country (2.3%), and Madrid (2.18%). In global terms, the Islands are also increasingly falling behind. According to 2024 data (the latest available), investment in R&D fell by 12.3% compared to 2023, while in most autonomous communities it is increasing. Of the total resources the State allocated to R&D in 2024, the Islands dedicated 0.7%: 176,351 euros. Whereas the previous year, they contributed 0.9%: 201,008 euros.

The PSIB deputy Carles Bona brought these figures to light this Tuesday in Parliament, where he lamented that, in addition to all this, investments in research and innovation have fallen by 39% in the extension of the 2026 budgets. It has gone from 32 million euros in investments in 2023 to 14.5 million. "Less than half in three years," lamented the socialist. "If we also take into account that they do not execute what they budget, the result is even worse," he said.

Bona, who also recalled that the Science Plan has been expired for three years, criticized that the Government talks about "diversifying" the economy while these investments are plummeting. "Diversifying means investing in knowledge, betting on innovation, generating value-added sectors, and retaining talent," he lamented.

Vera: "The previous Government did not draft the Science Plan"

The Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, argued that the Science Plan was already expired from the previous year. "The left-wing government should have drafted a new one, but it didn't," he insisted: "Big words and little action." According to the minister, the Executive's task of "reducing bureaucracy" helps research. He also boasted about the latest call for research technicians, with a larger allocation, in addition to the expansion of calls for innovation grants," and the boost in works at the UIB. "We are pursuing a more active, efficient, and oriented policy," he argued, adding that this is more important than the overall amount of investment.