What Happened
The National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation secured $10.87 million in additional credits and budget transfers after appearing before the National Assembly’s Budget Committee on April 29. The funds were approved to ease the impact of a sharp 25.6% cut to the agency’s 2026 budget.
Senacyt’s budget fell from $83.3 million in 2025 to $61.9 million in 2026, with the steepest pressure landing on investment spending. Research, scientific training, equipment, infrastructure and regional centers were among the areas most affected by the reduction.
Programs Under Pressure
Eduardo Ortega Barría, the secretary for science, technology and innovation, said the drop includes cuts of nearly 35% in research and development, scientific equipment and infrastructure lines. He also noted that human capital training was hit hardest, with scholarships for master’s degrees, doctorates and academic mobility reduced by as much as 82%.
The additional funding is intended to keep running programs alive and reduce disruption to scientific output. Among the initiatives that will be supported are graduate programs in climate change, engineering, energy sustainability and chemical sciences, developed with the Technological University of Panama and the Autonomous University of Chiriquí.
Priority Areas for Investment
Senacyt also plans to strengthen the National System of Research, including support for active scientists and projects ranging from basic science to applied innovation. The agency’s broader network includes public-interest associations such as Cenamep, Coiba AIP, Indicatic, Infoplazas and Cieps.
Part of the new funding will go to the Regional Innovation Center in Vaccines and Biopharmaceuticals at Ciudad del Saber, where work focuses on immunology, biotechnology and messenger RNA technologies. Indicasat-AIP will also receive support for a high-throughput DNA sequencer and a high-performance computing system, tools that will expand genomic analysis, epidemiological surveillance and biodiversity studies.
Cancer Research and National Competitiveness
Cancer research remains a central priority for Senacyt. In Panama, the disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for about 17% of deaths and more than 7,700 new cases each year.
The additional resources will help advance the “Science Against Cancer” program, which includes biomedical research, a stronger national cancer registry, tissue banks and training for oncology and clinical research specialists. A $2.17 million transfer for oncology research comes from a donation by the independent Vamos caucus, drawn from post-election subsidy funds.
The agency is also backing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity and green energy. The budget fight highlights a long-running challenge for Panama: scientific development still depends heavily on annual fiscal decisions, even as innovation becomes increasingly important for health, competitiveness and economic growth.
Official Senacyt figures show Panama invests about 0.13% of gross domestic product in science, technology and innovation. Excluding Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute spending, that figure falls to 0.08%, underscoring how limited public investment remains in the sector.