I am joining the Agency at a time of change, brought about by two new laws: the LOSU, currently awaiting approval in the Senate, and the Law on Science in Catalonia, already in force. Two very different laws in scope, but above all in concept. The LOSU represents, at least in the version approved by the Spanish Parliament, a potential threat to the work of all quality assurance agencies. There is not enough space here for an analysis of the LOSU, so I will address only to what could be meant by what is said in paragraph 2 of Article 5: "Quality assurance shall be implemented under the conditions and through the assessment, certification and accreditation procedures established by the Government". It represents a misguided, purely instrumental conception of the role of quality assurance agencies, which is incompatible with a real take-up of the European Higher Education Area. An area that brings together thousands of institutions, hundreds of thousands of degree programmes, millions of professors and tens of millions of students relies unfailingly on trust in the role of quality assurance agencies that are themselves subject to rigorous accreditation and international recognition schemes. It is worrying that a state vision of the definition of quality assurance procedures is maintained, which extends to an inefficient and centralising relationship between autonomous and state agencies.
On the other hand, the Law on Science in Catalonia places full confidence in the Agency, with a new and very sensitive task: that of assessing departments, university research centres and affiliated centres, as the basic units of the country's research infrastructure.
It represents a challenge, also for the Administration, which will thus be able to activate the core of basic funding for university research proposed by the Catalan Agreement on the Knowledge Society. In parallel with other university systems, we may want to consider whether this area of assessment of structural research activity would require a new agency, directly linked to specific funding. I believe that, until this proves to be the most convenient option, it is positive that AQU Catalunya should be entrusted with this new function, bearing in mind, moreover, that it already successfully carries out the assessment of teaching staff research activity. This new assignment will undoubtedly put a strain on the Agency and, as it develops and becomes established, will entail some changes. In any case, it is a path to be embarked upon, like others that the Agency has successfully embarked upon in the past.
This year must also be the year in which we see the maturation of institutional accreditation, precisely the topic I discussed in the 2020 editorial. As I said then, it is necessary to ensure that this institutional accreditation is not automated, that it does not evolve into a mechanical procedure, but that it becomes a real mechanism for institutional quality assurance in all its dimensions. We will not achieve this in one year; it is a very ambitious task taking place in a context that is hardly favourable, with universities working within a legal framework that does not favour or allow full autonomy. And without full autonomy, there is no full accountability. But Catalan society, which wants to and must become a developed knowledge society, needs us to move forward, and AQU Catalunya has all the experience and know-how to help the university system to do its part in this respect along the way. As your president, I will do my utmost to contribute.