At midday today, the University of Oviedo presented its 2019-20 Degree Awards, 2019-20 Special Faculty of Law Awards and 2018-19 Extraordinary PhD Awards at its St Thomas Aquinas and St Catherine of Alexandria academic event, presided over by Rector Santiago García Granda, and streamed live from the Assembly Hall in the Historic Building. Due to restrictions caused by the pandemic, diplomas had already been awarded individually, with the associated photographs being projected during the ceremony. The rector congratulated the winners and said "they are ready to serve society through education, business, entrepreneurship and research". 

 

In his speech, Rector Santiago García Granda highlighted that "for the first time, the university is involved in forums of the highest level set up by the Asturias regional government - such as the Alliance for Industry and the European Funds Advisory Committee. I believe this is the way forward, because the university is the best tool that governments, at all levels, have for transformation and social progress".  

 

The rector also referred to certain decisions "that will be key to the immediate future of our institution". These include the fact that in December the University of Oviedo Governing Council approved its draft budget for 2021, "amounting to more than 217m euros - 3% more than for 2020, and the university's fourth largest budget in the 21st century. We continue to make progress in decentralising resources, increasing the budget allocated to centres, departments and institutes by an average of more than 6%". 

 

The institution has also approved "a Public Employment Offer of 156 positions for 2020. Of these, 34 are for professor positions, 33 for associate professor positions and 43 permanent positions, with 16 positions for civil servant staff in administration and services and 14 for untenured staff," said García Granda. He added that these are examples "of how our university is not holding back and that, despite all the difficulties we face, we continue to fulfil our mission.

 

The keynote address was given by the vice president and general manager of biopharmaceutical company Gilead Spain, María Río Presa, who talked about "Science and innovation during times of pandemic". In her speech, Río Presa highlighted "the very high level of our scientists and health institutions, with Spain being the European country that has participated in the most clinical trials and involving the most patients, with 101 clinical trials and 28,000 patients taking part at 162 hospitals... And some of the components for the three available vaccines and antiviral are manufactured in Spain". 

 

In reference to the distinguished students at this event, the speaker stated that "we need these generations of high-value excellent people who represent our future. I would ask them to be free, to avoid feeling conditioned by old or external limitations, to retain the status quo, to have the courage to look for new ways and alternatives in research and in all areas of life, to try to approach things by taking a different perspective, and to be determined without getting discouraged".

 

The awards were read out by the University of Oviedo's secretary general, Eva María Cordero.