CONICET and INTA signed an agreement to create new “Implementation Units”

The president of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Alejandro Ceccatto, and the vice-president of the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Mariano Miguel Bosch, signed an agreement to create double dependency “Implementation Units”. The objective of these units is to develop scientific and technological research, conduct technological development activities and transfer to the social and productive medium, and training of human resources to achieve those aims.

“It’s a historical fact that the two largest science and technological institutions that have worked for more than 60 decades formally join up. The current times demand synergy and joined work”, Ceccatto stated.

He also talked about the profiles of both organizations: “The CONICET is an institution that produces knowledge and the INTA solves the needs of a specific sector. This association is a way to focus more on the needs of the country and work on strategic matters for the region”, he concluded.

The appointed president of INTA, Juan Balbin, said: “The challenge is to try to align processes and solve the country’s problems jointly; analyze the synergies and possibilities that arise thank to teamwork. Modernity is about finding the capacities to solve the challenges that arise.”

For his part, the vicepresident of the INTA said “we’re very proud of signing an agreement with an institution of excellence as the CONICET. Our organism needs the company of the researchers, the people who work in the laboratories and in the land to be able to develop.”

On behalf of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, the officials that participated were: the secretary of Scientific and Technological Interaction,  Agustín Campero, and the undersecretary of Policies on Science, Technology and Productive Innnovation, Jorge Aguado.

Campero remarked that the agreement between the CONICET and the INTA “is a good model for other associations, a possible and masterful way to replicate between the Council and other institutions devoted to science and technology.”

Finally, Aguado praised the cooperation between both organizations and said “a great part of the policy we’ve announced is the work related between the different ministries and the science and technology organisms. The aim is to use the abilities of all so as to have more potential.”

Currently, there are more than 100 CONICET researchers and 400 fellows. It is worth mentioning that both institutions have a longstanding history of cooperation. Last year, they signed an agreement to train high level human resources specialized in subjects proposed by the INTA in order to conduct research studies in the agencies of that institution.

Some CONICET officials who were present were: the vice-president of Technological Affairs, Mirtha Flawiá; the vice-president of Technological Affairs Miguel Laborde; the member of the Board, Carlos Van Gelderen; the manager of Scientific and Technological Development, Jorge Tezon; the director of Management and Divisional Units, Luisa Baigorria; and the director of Agreements and Projects, Patricia Maccagno.

From the INTA, the officials who atended the meeting were: the national coordinator of Research and Development, Fernando Fernández; the manager of Scientific and Technological Development Management, Ricardo Sager; Karina Trono, Oscar Ruiz, Elisa Carrillo and Ruth Heinz, future directors of the CONICET-INTA Implementation Units.