The Spanish Antarctic Campaign has been held uninterruptedly every austral summer since 1987–1988.
The main objective of the campaign is to undertake the scientific projects approved under the various scientific, technical and innovation research programmes (including state and other scientific programmes) and other programmed activities.
The scientific projects are primarily conducted at the ICTS Spanish Antarctic Bases, comprising the Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic Base, located on Livingston Island, the Gabriel de Castilla Spanish Antarctic Base, located on Deception Island, both in the South Shetland Archipelago, and the oceanographic vessels Hespérides and Sarmiento de Gamboa, which form part of the ICTS FLOTA fleet. Both research vessels also carry out logistical support tasks.
The Spanish Antarctic campaign represents a model of cooperation between different public and private institutions dedicated to R&D&I under the general coordination of the Spanish Polar Committee. In this regard, the Ministry of Science and Innovation works closely with the State Research Agency, whose mission is to promote scientific and technical research, the Marine Technology Unit of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which is responsible for managing the Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic Base, the Oceanographic Vessel BO Sarmiento de Gamboa and the general logistics of the Antarctic campaign, the Ministry of Defence through the Spanish Army, which manages the Gabriel de Castilla Spanish Antarctic Base, and the Spanish Navy, which operates the Oceanographic Research Vessel BIO Hespérides.
International cooperation is crucial for successfully implementing Antarctic campaigns in terms of scientific and logistic aspects. Regarding science, it facilitates access to bases in other countries and, as a result, makes it possible to carry out research in geographical areas located elsewhere than the Spanish Antarctic Bases. Similarly, in terms of logistics, it promotes interaction between countries operating in the same regions of the Antarctic with a view to sharing and optimising available resources.
