Sir

Nature is known as a journal that publishes sound research papers based on accurate data. One would expect such accuracy also in data included in editorials.

The leading article “Spanish science is still at risk” ( Nature 389, 767; 1997) was wrong in saying that the budget of Spain's scientific research council (CSIC) is lower than the fee paid for the transfer of a famous football player to an Italian club: the entire CSIC budget amounts to about ten times that transfer fee.

With this budget, CSIC's scientific production represents about 20 per cent of the Spanish total, and that in turn is 2.2 per cent of world science production. CSIC is one of the main research contractors with the European Commission in the current Framework programme.