The Board of Trustees of the National Oncological Research Center (CNIO) has ceased its director, María Blasco, and its manager, Juan Arroyo, as advanced, according to sources close to the Board of Trustees. The decision has been made unanimously.
The movement involves the end of an era. María Blasco has been the director of the CNIO since 2011, and with it in front this body arrived at its highest levels of excellence and visibility. But from inside doors, the CNIO suffers for years one of the worst crises in its history since it was created in 1998. Some of its basic infrastructure, its scientific leadership is in decline and the production of high quality studies has fallen significantly in The last years ,. In addition, since December they have known alleged cases of abuse of power, abuse and other problems by Blasco against some employees. Half of the scientific chiefs of the center to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, directed by Diana Morant.
Since the outbreak of this crisis in December, Blasco has denied all responsibility in the problems detected in the center and Ha, Juan Arroyo, with whom he maintains a confrontation since she arrived at the direction. The Alicante molecular biologist, 59, has assured that she has never harassed anyone in her life and has declared herself a victim of harassment herself for being a woman. It has also been attacked by an alleged media defamation campaign, and claims to have undertaken a legal battle against media, as well as denounced before the Prosecutor’s Office alleged irregularities ,. This same Monday Blasco wrote to the members of the Board of Trustees holding these arguments and denouncing that for a misinformation campaign.
The CNIO is governed by a patronage with state, autonomous representation and also private foundations. Within this organ there is a lot of concern about the reputational damage that the CNIO is suffering in this crisis, partly because of Blasco’s resistance to resign without making noise, according to sources of the organism.
The Board of Trustees is chaired by the Secretary General of Investigation of the Ministry of Science, Eva Ortega Paíno, a chemistry that knows well the problems of the CNIO, because even his appointment worked there as a scientist. The Patronato is also represented, director of the Carlos III Health Institute, Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Secretary of State for Health, Matute, President of the Higher Council for Scientific Research, Borja Monreal Gainza, director of the Department of Public Policies of the Presidency Government Cabinet , Ángela Nieto Toledano, of the Advisory Council of Science, Technology and Innovation. Four Autonomous Communities – Castilla y León, Baleares, Murcia and Extremadura – and four private employers are also represented: La Caixa Foundation, BBVA Foundation, Cris Foundation and the Spanish Association against Cancer.
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