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Miércoles, 29 de enero 2025, 17:35
The Board of the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has decided in an extraordinary meeting held this Wednesday to dismiss its scientific director, María Blasco, and its managing director, Juan Arroyo, to "start a new phase." Fernando Peláez, director of the CNIO's Biotechnology Program, will be the new interim scientific director.
In a statement, the Board announced that it has decided to respond to the need for this new phase, as it understands that "at this time there is a working climate incompatible with what should be present in a centre of reference and excellence like the CNIO, recognised by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence."
Thus, the Board has unanimously agreed to dismiss both its current scientific director and the managing director of the centre and appoint Fernando Peláez as interim scientific director. Additionally, it has tasked the CNIO's Delegated Commission, chaired by the Carlos III Health Institute, with the administrative and accounting management on an interim basis.
From now on, the process of opening an international public competition for the search for a new scientific director for the centre begins.
The Board's decision comes after complaints of mismanagement and workplace harassment by centre workers against María Blasco and a day after the CNIO director made public a complaint to the Prosecutor's Office about two "possible irregularities" in the centre's hiring, which depend on the managing director of the research centre, Juan Arroyo.
Throughout this time, Blasco has defended her management and assured that she only received one harassment complaint from centre staff, although, according to her, it was resolved as "there was no workplace or moral harassment and no abuse of authority could be determined."
Maria Blasco obtained her doctorate in 1993 at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre under the supervision of Margarita Salas. She then went to the United States to continue her training, until she returned to Spain in 1997 to establish her own research group at the National Biotechnology Centre (CSIC).
Blasco began her journey in 2003 at the CNIO as director of the Molecular Oncology Program and head of the Telomeres and Telomerase Group. In 2005, she was appointed deputy director of Basic Research at the CNIO, and in June 2011, she became the director of the centre.
For his part, Juan Arroyo is a State Finance Inspector specialising in Tax Inspection and Intervention, with a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Complutense University of Madrid.
Arroyo leaves the CNIO after 23 years. In 2002, he joined the centre as deputy director of Economic Affairs, assuming the functions of managing director, until 2009 when he was appointed as such.
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