Every southern summer, since 1987-1988, the Spanish Antarctic Campaign has been continuously developed.
The main objective of the campaign is to develop the approved scientific projects within the different scientific, technical and innovation research programs, both state and other scientific programs and other programmed activities.
The scientific projects are developed mainly in the Singular Scientific-Technical Installation (ICTS) Spanish Antarctic Bases, formed by the BAE Juan Carlos I, located on Livingston Island, the BAE Gabriel of Castilla, located on Deception Island, both in the archipelago of the South Shetland, and the oceanographic ships Hespérides and Sarmiento de Gamboa, which are part of the ICTS FLEET. Both ships also carry out logistical support tasks.
The Spanish Antarctic campaign constitutes a model of cooperation between different public and private institutions at the service of R+D+I under the general coordination of the Spanish Polar Committee. For its realization, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities collaborates closely with the State Research Agency, whose purpose is the promotion of scientific and technical research, the Marine Technology Unit of the CSIC, responsible for the management of the BAE Juan Carlos I and the BO Sarmiento de Gamboa and the general logistics of the Antarctic campaign, and the Ministry of Defense through the Land Army, which manages the BAE Gabriel de Castilla, and the Navy, which operates the BIO HESPÉRIDES.
International cooperation is essential in the development of Antarctic campaigns at both the scientific and logistical levels. In the first case, facilitating access to bases of other countries and, therefore, enabling research in geographical areas different from those of the BAE and, in terms of logistics, promoting interaction between countries operating in the same areas of Antarctica to share and optimize the available resources.
