Main actions along my Institute of Space Science (ICE, CSIC) directorship (2016-2023)

• I established a new organizational scheme and implemented a management model based on three pillars: i) decisions were taken at the expert level whenever possible; ii) predictability was established in repetitive procedures, removing arbitrariness and the need for rediscovery; and iii) under a clear global direction, delegation of work implied the transfer of decision-making authority.

• I recruited a new institute manager, created a gender-balanced management team, established the Outreach Office and the Equity Committee, defined the operational model for the Advanced Engineering Unit, and promoted discussion and faculty approval of written internal protocols covering laboratory operations and decision-making rules. These included procedures for office space allocation, arrivals, new staff appointments, senior fellow promotions, and many other matters, all summarized in the White Book for Internal Operations, which I wrote and which was approved by all staff. I also promoted a bottom-up ICE Code of Conduct.

• I established the annual Summer Schools, serving more than 40 students with a minimal fee; the Strategy Retreats, a yearly two-day meeting of the whole institute; and the International Advisory Committee, whose visits were hosted every two years. I also created several institute-wide positions for postdocs, engineers, and students, as well as the Thematic Core programme, the Outgoing Professorship, the Students and Fellows Best Contribution Award, and other initiatives.

• I created a new institutional website and intranet, launched the institute’s social media presence, and maintained and improved the Annual Reports. Outreach activities included a four-year programme to improve science education in a societally challenged school, the establishment of the Mentorship Programme, the creation of Ph.D. and Postdoc representative positions, the Career Day, the Off-topic Christmas Seminars, and a Debate Series.

• I ended an annual deficit of >65 KEur in 2017, and maintained a balanced accounting along my directorship. Operations income increased 2.4x, to about 0.6 MEur. Direct investment including salaries increased to be well in excess of 2 MEur a year.

• Scientific grants and contracts averaged 5.5Meur per year, increasing from 4.2MEur in 2016 to 7.4MEur in 2022. Two technologies reached maximum technology readiness, TRL 9. The average yearly amount in contracts with industry or ESA increased fivefold.

• I acquired grants totalling more than 6MEur to fund infrastructure investments in common areas, conference rooms, laboratory facilities, the computer cluster, sustainable heating, furniture, occupational-risk prevention actions, and other needs.

• The institute was recognized as one of the top research centres in Spain and received the María de Maeztu Award of Excellence in 2021, which included a total grant of 2.8MEur.

• The number of institute members increased from approximately 70 to more than 120, a rise of 60%. Administrative and support personnel increased by 283% through the creation of communication, project management, and maintenance offices; the engineering body increased by 80%; and the number of faculty members rose by 121%, from 14 to 31.

• I maintained my scientific activity throughout the 2016–2023 period during which I served as director of the institute. I published 79 papers in first-rate journals, excluding papers published as a member of large collaborations. These included a solo Article in Nature Astronomy, and 41% of the papers were published with me as first, second, or third author. I also supervised four Ph.D. theses and several postdocs.

Historical perspective: talk given on the occasion of the ICE 25 years celebration in February 2025