Guidance

UK Science and Innovation Network summary: Argentina

Updated 6 August 2024

1. 1. Science and Innovation Landscape

Argentina is a resource-rich country with internationally important strengths, especially in medical, biological and agricultural sciences, where its collaborations with the UK are most visible, qualitatively and quantitatively. Its research council CONICET provides funding for the country’s top scientists. In 2022, CONICET was ranked as the best Latin American government research institution (Scimago Institutions Ranking). Other important government science and innovation agencies/institutes focussing on key sectors including the National Institutes for Agricultural and Industrial Technologies (INTA and INTI), the National Atomic Energy Commission and the National Space Activities Commission.

Amongst its many universities, the most famous is the enormous public Universidad de Buenos Aires, or “UBA”, (2024 QS World University Rankings, 95th place). It produced four of Argentina five Nobel Prize laureates, as well as 17 presidents, and generates approximately 40% of the country’s research output. The country’s other specialist research institutes include Instituto Malbran (which has worked closely with the Wellcome Sanger Institute on genome sequencing), Leloir Institute (biotechnology specialists and founded by a Nobel Laureate), Balseiro Institute (Latin America’s primary training institute for nuclear scientists), and the public-private energy innovation institute Y-TEC.

In terms of technology and research-intensive businesses, Argentina still has significant room to grow, but there have been many success stories such as the unicorn Globant (the world’s fastest-growing ICT brand), Bioceres (genetically modified crops, registered on the New York Stock Exchange), and INVAP (satellite and civil nuclear company, who have built research reactors in Australia and the Netherlands).

2. 2. UK partnership with Argentina on ST&I

The UK’s science relationship with Argentina has passed from Charles Darwin (who was a member of its science academy), to Argentina’s three Nobel Science Laureates, to Argentina producing the Oxford/AZ Covid Vaccine for Latin America. The Science & Innovation Network (SIN) has been active in Argentina since 2017, and is part of the SIN LatAm Hub (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico). The local SIN office has organised UK visits for Argentina’s then-Science and Health Ministers and CONICET’s President, as well as policy makers, academics and sectors specialists from the research and innovation communities. It has also facilitated visits to Argentina from several Government Chief Scientific and Medical Officers, a Royal Society President, Research Councils and other groups from universities, innovation centres, and knowledge-based companies.

Argentina’s abundant natural resources have also resulted in strong collaboration on agritech (the world’s second largest producer of GM foods, with a research base to match). Collaboration has also taken place around critical minerals (Argentina is part of the world’s largest lithium reserves, the “Lithium Triangle”, with Chile and Bolivia). Argentina’s civil nuclear knowledge and technological capacity also places it well as a provider for UK and global energy needs.  Due to Argentina’s vast size; this provides rich potential for renewable energy (especially wind and solar power).

Argentina, working with Astra Zeneca, produced the active principle of the “Oxford Vaccine” for Spanish-speaking Latin America. During the Covid-19 pandemic they worked closely with the UK on data exchange and genomic sequencing. There is close Argentina-UK relationship on health and biological sciences. This has recently included a five-year research programme on antimicrobial resistance and a stream of joint research activities on biodiversity, evaluation of high-cost medicines with NICE. Furthermore there is close collaboration with GSK, who produce ten percent of their global Research & Development in Argentina. Argentina’s Congress has looked to the UK as a centre of excellence for evidence-based policy making. SIN Argentina continues to help facilitate working between the two countries in areas of mutual science, innovation and technology interest.

3. 3. SIN contacts

• Simon Chater: simon.chater@fcdo.gov.uk, Head of Science and Innovation, British Embassy in Buenos Aires