FECYT creates the team that will set up the Science and Technology Office of the Congress of Deputies

The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT, from his Spanish initials) has just brought in five new people to launch the Spanish Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology. Four of them will be acting as Scientific and Technological Evidence Officers, while one will be taking the role of Communications and Networking Officer.

FECYT opened, back in June of 2021, a call for these five job opportunities which got over 510 application submissions.
The selection process consisted of three stages: a written test, a curricular assessment and a final interview. All the phases took place online to enable the attendance of all candidates, regardless of their place of residence.

During the written test, the PhDs who applied for the Scientific and Technological Evidence Officer vacancy were made to draft a report about antimicrobial resistance and the possible potential of the phagotherapy treatment. To that end, they had access to multidisciplinary scientific papers, which they could complement with their own literature search.

A phagotherapy expert and former head of a Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, along with members of FECYT, assessed and evaluated the tests on their scientific rigour, content, structure, style, and text spelling and grammar.

On the other hand, the written test for the Communications and Networking Officer vacancy consisted of proposing a plan of activities to connect the Spanish Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology with the science community, members of Parliament, and the general public.
In a like manner, the test was examined by members of FECYT on their appropriateness and suitability, structure, impact and level of innovation.

After this stage, the candidatures above the minimum score in the written test moved to the second phase where the assessment panel considered their merits in scientific research and/or science communication. A total of 26 candidates advanced to the third and last stage to be interviewed. Finally, five people were selected for the different roles.

About the Spanish Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology

The Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology will produce impartial and independent briefings that review and gather the scientific and technical consensus on the prospective topics of interest for the Parliament Members.
All this information will be made public to everyone, including the general public.

In the same way, the Office for Science and Technology will organize activities with other collaborating institutions to facilitate the knowledge exchange between the Spanish Parliament, the research communities and the general public.

The Office works closely with the Advisory Board, which is a formal committee comprised of representatives from the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC); the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII); the Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT); the Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute (IAC); the Network of Centres of Excellence Severo Ochoa and Maria de Maeztu (SOMMA); the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI); the Research Executive Agency (AEI); the Spanish University Rectors ‘Conference (CRUE); Spanish Confederation of Scientific Societies (COSCE); the Institute of Spain- Royal Academies (IE-RA); Science for Parliament Society (CEEP); and the Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE).