The closing ceremony of the 2nd edition of the Training Programme in Strategic and Operational Management of Research Centres and Units of Excellence (GESCI&GOSCI) took place on 30 June in the Convention Hall of the CINC Building in the Cidade da Cultura.

The event was attended by the Regional Minister of Education, University and Vocational Training, Carmen Pomar Tojo, accompanied by the General Director of Feuga, Javier Pereiro Pérez, who opened the event. The Deputy Director General of University Scientific and Technological Promotion, Mª Jesús Tallón Nieto, was also present.

Javier Pereiro, after welcoming the attendees, highlighted the features that define the programme, which is a pioneer at national level, and introduced the speakers of the event: Lluís Rovira, Academic Director of the programme and Director of the CERCA Network of Catalonia, and Daniel Zajfman, guest speaker and former president of the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS).

The former gave an overview of the development of the 2019/20 edition of the GESCI&GOSCI training programme and gave way to the speaker who focused his speech on good management practices in a research centre and the challenges involved in innovation versus basic science.

This was followed by a dialogue between Rovira and Zajfman based on questions posed by those attending the event, which addressed aspects such as the WIS strategy for attracting research talent, the necessary balance between the institutional orientation of research and the particular interests of scientists and researchers, as well as the main mechanisms to promote basic research from governmental and university institutions.
The event was closed by Carmen Pomar, who highlighted the strategic nature of this initiative for the Xunta de Galicia to raise the levels of excellence and positioning of the research centres of the Galician University System.