Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524298
By SILVIO SCERRI CEO, Xjenza, Malta On 1 July 2024, Science Mal- ta (Xjenza Malta) was officially launched as the successor entity to the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). One might ask, 'What's in a name?', but in reality, this was much more than a simple name-change. In fact, the establishment of this Government Agency, by means of L.N. 112 of 2024: Public Administration Act (Cap. 595); Science Malta (Estab- lishment as an Agency) Order, 2024, was induced by the structural need to have in place a stronger insti- tutional set-up to drive forward the R&I agenda. This includes the amalgamation of the Founda- tion's contribution to nation-wide scientific research elements, with the operational administration of the flagship National Interac- tive Centre, Esplora, so crucial for outreach and interaction with all of the Maltese society, previously managed by an Agency of limited scope. Xjenza Malta will therefore henceforth bring together under its responsibility all activities re- lated to Research and Innovation, including Policy Development and Implementation, Funding Programmes and Space-related matters, and the day-to-day run- ning and enhancement of Esplora services, thus representing an institutional shift in the centrality of research and innovation policy making within the public adminis- tration, the due attention that this policy needs within the macroe- conomic narrative of the country and, through Esplora, the annual public interaction with thousands of people, presenting science in a popular and palatable manner to all and sundry. This major development did not come about by chance. Upon my taking over the Chief Execu- tive role within MCST, eighteen months ago, it became immediate- ly apparent that the loose admin- istrative and legal set-up of MCST as a Foundation was simply not enough. Notwithstanding these shortcomings, I must reiterate that sterling work had been done up until today, but that the frailty of the set-up might prove to be a stifling and hindering factor for the future ambitious plans we have for this sector. The formal Agency structure will mean it shall be a "body corporate", with a distinct legal personality, capable of entering into contracts, acquiring, holding and disposing of property for the purposes of its functions, and other provisions emanating from this transition into a fully-fledged Government Agency, with all that entails. This will give Xjenza Malta a freedom of operation, within its legal and operational parameters of course, that will serve as a major boost to the Research, Innovation, and Space sectors in Malta and will give it a freer hand in developing and improving Esplora as both a commercial product and an educa- tional service to the populace. In anticipation of these increased and enlarged responsibilities, administrative and technical struc- tures were beefed-up over the last few months. These efforts were officially recognised, culminating in our significant achievement of the 'Best Practice in Good Gov- ernance Award' from among all public entities, as adjudicated by the National Audit Office (NAO), following an extensive auditing exercise conducted on several random samples of our public fund administration. The NAO conclud- ed that the processes and docu- ments vetted were not only fully in accordance with the principles of good governance, demonstrating accountability and transparency in administration, but a 'Best Practice' example in the administration and governance of public monies. This augurs well for the work of the Agency, the work ethic ingrained in our staff being the major asset that we will carry forward into the future. This certificate of compe- tence, indeed excellence, awarded by the Parliamentary body entrust- ed with rigorously monitoring the administration of public resources, the National Audit Office, is ample proof of the success of the dedi- cated groundwork made in these last months as preparation for the planned expansion of the plethora of services we are offering the pub- lic and the scientific community. Xjenza Malta (Science Malta) will act as the national research and space policy development and programming arm of the Gov- ernment, with a robust and clear mandate to engage in a sustained growth and diversification of its portfolio, including the vital research funding. The Xjenza Malta FUSION research fund- ing programmes currently offer seven unique schemes aimed at developing and commercialising innovative technologies through a budget that has steadily risen from €3.5 million in 2021 to €5 million in 2024. Science Malta will be spear- heading the Government's goal to reach an annual FUSION budget of €8.2 million per year, by the end of the current legislative period in 2027 as per its pre-electoral pledge. This increase in funding has been complemented by a diversification of our services, primarily through an enhanced effort on R&I inter- nationalisation endeavours. Over recent months, we have put in place several new collaborative agreements, notably with the UAE and Spain, with more such agree- ments in the pipeline, such as a Xjenza Malta launched Xjenza Malta (Science Malta) will act as the national research and space policy development and programming arm of the Government, with a robust and clear mandate to engage in a sustained growth and diversification of its portfolio, including the vital research funding. Xjenza Malta CEO, Silvio Scerri, receiving National Audit Office 'Best Practice in Good Governance Award'