The mission of the AEI is to promote scientific and technical research in all areas of knowledge through the efficient allocation of public resources, the promotion of excellence, the promotion of collaboration between the agents of the System and support for the generation of knowledge of high scientific and technical, economic and social impact, including those aimed at solving the great challenges of society, and the monitoring of financed activities as well as the necessary advice to improve the design and planning of actions or initiatives to through which the R+D policies of the General State Administration are implemented.

The vision of the AEI is to contribute to the people and institutions that are dedicated to research in Spain reach their potential and that research is a key driver of the development of society.

According to its Statute, the functions of the AEI are:

1. The management of the programs, instruments and actions that are awarded within the framework of the State Plans for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation, any other that is expressly assigned by the General State Administration or those derived from collaboration agreements entered into with other entities or other actions, through the objective and impartial allocation of available resources.

2. The organization and management of the ex ante and ex post scientific-technical evaluation of proposals, actions or initiatives, when appropriate, use evaluation criteria based on internationally recognized scientific and technical merits, as well as those criteria established by the corresponding calls.
3. The verification, monitoring and subsequent evaluation of the activities financed by the Agency and their scientific, technical and socio-economic impact, as well as the control of the justification of compliance with the conditions and objectives of the aid received.
4. Communication and dissemination of the results of the evaluations carried out.
5. The monitoring of the management, financing, justification and results of all actions that are directly executed by the Agency, as well as the advice on them.
6. Participation in national and international meetings and forums related to matters pertaining to their object and purposes, and representation in R+D+I policy forums when so determined by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The Agency's actions in international forums will take place in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation when it is determined necessary.
7. The dissemination and communication of the results of its activities and the results of the research financed by the Agency.
8. The management of actions aimed at promoting collaboration, exchange, circulation, dissemination and exploitation of scientific and technical knowledge among the agents of the System.
9. Carrying out activities or rendering services entrusted to it by the General State Administration or, by virtue of contracts, agreements and, in general, legal affairs, by other entities.
10. The management of R+D actions financed with European funds and those resulting from Spanish participation in international programs.
11. The economic and budgetary management and the economic-financial control of the instruments and actions that correspond to it.
12. Any other function entrusted to it.

In accordance with its Statute, the Agency will observe the principles of general interest by which the actions of public administrations must be governed. In the exercise of its specific functions, it will also be governed by the following basic principles:

1. Autonomy, understood as the ability of the Agency to manage, under the terms provided in this Statute, the means made available to it to achieve the committed objectives.
2. Technical independence, based on the training, specialization, professionalism and individual responsibility of the personnel at the service of the Agency who must observe the applicable values ​​of competence, professional ethics and public responsibility.
3. Objectivity in the evaluation of the scientific, technical and innovative merit in all its actions, which will be carried out using previously established criteria, known to all and based on international and commonly accepted standards, such as evaluation by national and international peers or by panels of renowned scientists and technologists.
4. Transparency in all administrative activities and compliance with the obligations of good governance by the public officials of the Agency, as well as the rendering of accounts and commitments to present accurate and complete information on all the results and procedures used in management.
5. Efficiency in its performance, putting all the means to carry out the object and purpose defined in this Statute.
6. Efficiency in the allocation and use of public resources and continuous evaluation of the quality of management processes and action procedures, which will be carried out in accordance with the criteria of legality, speed, simplification and electronic accessibility and without prejudice to the necessary rigor.
7. Inter-institutional cooperation, understood as the principle that seeks synergies in collaboration with other Administrations, agents and institutions, public or private, national and international for the promotion of knowledge in all its areas.
8. Gender equality, promoting the gender perspective and a balanced composition of women and men in its bodies, councils and committees and activities in accordance with the provisions of Organic Law 3/2007, of March 22, for equality effective number of women and men, and the thirteenth additional provision of Law 14/2011, of June 1.

The AEI is formed by around two hundred public workers highly specialized in research management tasks. We are divided into multidisciplinary teams specialized in the life cycle of the grants and in the horizontal activities of the AEI.

In addition, the AEI has more than two hundred and fifty Scientific-Technical Collaborators who are integrated into the Scientific-Technical Areas of the Agency. The collaborators are experts in R+D+I who dedicate part of their time to the scientific-technical management of AEI grants. Your collaboration is essential for the Agency to carry out its functions.

Finally, the AEI has signed contracts, commissions and agreements to support different management tasks. Within the scope of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, it is important to highlight the collaboration with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

Royal Decree 1067/2015, of 27 November, by which the State Investigation Agency is created and its Statute is approved.

Royal Decree 1067/2015, of 27 November, creating the Spanish State Research Agency and approving its Statute

LEGAL DISCLAIMER This text provides just INFORMATION about the Royal Decree 1067/2015, of 27 November, creating the Spanish State Research Agency and approving its Statute. The ONLY TEXT LEGALLY VALID is that published in the Spanish Official Gazette (State Official Newsletter).

Royal Decree 1/2017, of January 13, amending Royal Decree 1067/2015, of 27 November, which creates the State Research Agency and approves its Statute.