Employment Contact

The Institute

External Scientific Committee

StructureFunctionsOperating Procedures

Chair

Carlos Martínez Alonso

  • Director of the Department of Immunology and Oncology of the CSIC Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (National Centre for Biotechnology)

Members

Ana Aranda Iriarte

  • CSIC Honorary Research Lecturer, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” (“Alberto Sols” Biomedical Research Institute, CSIC-UAM)

Irene Miguel-Aliaga

Irene Miguel-Aliaga

  • Professor of Genetics and Physiology, Imperial College London
  • Chair of the Genes and Metabolism Section, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences

Pura Muñoz Cánoves

  • Professor of Cell Biology and ICREA Research Professor in the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona.
  • Senior Researcher, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (National Cardiovascular Research Centre), Madrid

José López Barneo

  • Director of the Cellular Neurobiology and Biophysics Research Group. Professor of Physiology, Universidad de Sevilla
  • Director of the Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (Seville Institute of Biomedicine, IBiS)

Eugenio Santos de Dios

  • Professor of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Universidad de Salamanca.
  • Director of the Centro de Investigación del Cáncer (Cancer Research Centre) of the Universidad de Salamanca and CSIC

 

Ramón Gomis de Barbarà

  • Professor of Endocrinology, Universitat de Barcelona.
  • Director of the Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (August Pi i Sunyer Institute of Biomedical Research, IDIBAPS).

 

Article 6.1.1 of ISPA’s Rules of Procedure describes the functions of the External Scientific Committee:

  1. The External Scientific Committee will exercise fully independent decision-making and act with full autonomy when performing its functions with respect to ISPA, taking minutes of all its meetings, whether held in person or via teleconference. Provided that the Board of Governors considers it appropriate, it will advise ISPA’s governing bodies and Scientific Director, as appropriate, on matters such as:
    • How to ensure the suitability of the lines of scientific research and other activities that are performed in ISPA and included in the Strategic Plan, providing the recommendations and suggestions it deems appropriate.
    • The suitability of the proposed Annual Scientific Plan produced by ISPA’s Scientific Director, for approval by the Board of Governors.
    • The suitability of applications from researchers to join research groups belonging to ISPA in order to establish new lines of research for the institute, producing the proposals for action that it deems appropriate.
    • The incorporation of research groups to the research structures created within ISPA (as well as the assignment of spaces and, where appropriate, equipment for shared use).
    • The termination of the relationship between research groups and ISPA, including grounds for such an action.
    • Periodic evaluations of the consolidated and emerging research groups, and the decisions to be taken on the basis of these evaluations.
    • Any other matters, as requested by ISPA’s governing bodies and scientific director.
  2. The External Scientific Committee should issue opinions on:
    • ISPA’s proposed Annual Scientific Plan and the final, approved document.
    • ISPA’s Strategic Plan (which also includes the Integration and Training Plans).
    • The Annual Scientific Report.
    • The Financial Report and external audits.
    • ISPA’s policy on research quality and good practice.
    • The transfer of results to clinical practice.
    • ISPA’s internal and external communications strategy.
  3. The External Scientific Committee should produce an annual report on ISPA’s activities, with reference to the Strategic Plan. This includes evaluation of ISPA’s scientific areas/programmes and research groups.

Article 6.1.2 of ISPA’s Rules of Procedure describes how the External Scientific Committee operates:

  1. The External Scientific Committee will hold one ordinary meeting per year, without prejudice to the extraordinary meetings which will be called, and mainly held by teleconference, whenever this is deemed necessary. For actions relating to information on research group applications and the evaluation thereof, the Committee may work in commissions, if it deems this appropriate.
  2. Meetings will be called by the chair, on the chair’s own initiative or at the request of the chair of the Board of Governors or the Scientific Director.
  3. The call to meeting will be issued by the secretary, on the instructions of the chair, with a minimum of 10 days’ notice for ordinary meetings and at least five days for extraordinary meetings, by a means that enables its receipt to be recorded. Calls to meeting will include the place, date and time of the meeting, along with the agenda.
  4. The External Scientific Committee will be legitimately convened when at least half of its members plus one are present or represented.
    ISPA’s Scientific Director will normally attend External Scientific Committee meetings held in person, with a right to speak but not to vote, as will support staff designated by the Technical Coordination Office.
  5. Agreements will be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast. In the event of a tie, the chair will have the deciding vote.
  6. Minutes will be taken on the content of the meetings, which will be maintained by ISPA’s Technical Coordination Office. The secretary of the Board of Governors will be assisted in performing this function by staff from the Technical Coordination Office.
  7. Members of the External Scientific Committee will have the right to be reimbursed for duly-substantiated expenses incurred in performing their duties, and to receive these reimbursements under the terms approved by the Board of Governors.