Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 623 Scientific Development
While Spain was engaged in a series of large-scale construction projects, the Royal Academy of Sciences never ceased its scientific and technological research.

When discussing the current research of the Royal Society, radar is an important technology that must be mentioned among military-related research.

Spain's purpose in developing radar is simple: to detect the enemy's movements in advance during future air and naval battles.

Carlos placed great importance on radar research and development. Long before the outbreak of World War II, Spain had a project team dedicated to radar research and development, with annual research funding reaching millions of pesetas.

With Carlo's strong support, the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences finally made some progress in radar research and development a few years later.

When it comes to the development of radar, this research was by no means a sudden achievement. The earliest concept of radar can be traced back to 1842 when Austrian physicist Doppler proposed Doppler radar, which utilized the Doppler effect.

The development of Doppler radar officially began, and then in 1864, British physicist James Clerk Maxwell derived a formula for calculating the characteristics of electromagnetic waves, further accelerating the exploration of radar.

The Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences was able to build upon the work of its predecessors and develop radar by combining previous research findings. In reality, it was not as difficult as one might imagine.

Spain has made some progress in technologies related to radar, such as radio waves, electric mirrors, and vacuum transistors.

These are all milestones in scientific research in the field of human military affairs. The breakthroughs achieved by the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences in many aspects are inseparable from Carlo's strong support and the joint efforts of many scientists.

According to historical records, the first practical radar was invented in 1935, which is 15 years ago.

Based on the current progress of Spain's radar development, Spain has a good chance of successfully developing radar within 15 years and installing it on Spanish warships and aircraft.

This is quite important. With the aid of radar in future naval and air battles, the Spanish navy and air force will have a greater chance of winning, and the threat posed to Spain by European countries, led by Britain, will be significantly reduced.

Besides radar, the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences also conducted some research on rockets.

Besides its use in aerospace, rocket technology, particularly its more militarized branch, is also very important to Spain.

Missiles are not only weapons that can strike enemy targets at long distances, but they can also be equipped with nuclear warheads to achieve even more powerful long-range strikes.

To expedite Spain's acquisition of missiles and nuclear weapons, Carlos went to great lengths. From the end of World War I, the annual research budget of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences steadily increased.

Carlo's investment in the Royal Academy of Sciences has increased from tens of millions of pesetas per year to an astonishing 300 million pesetas per year.

It is no exaggeration to say that if all this money were used to build up the navy, Spain could build three or four more super dreadnoughts or five or six aircraft carriers every year, which would be a huge boost to Spain's naval strength.

The fact that Carlo was able to dedicate all of this money to scientific research demonstrates just how much importance he placed on the various scientific research projects of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Many members of the Royal Academy of Sciences also enjoy the highest level of benefits in Spain. Anyone who is admitted to the Royal Academy of Sciences receives a house and a car provided free of charge by the Spanish government.

This is no ordinary property; it's a detached villa located on the outskirts of a Spanish city, beautifully decorated and quite spacious.

The car is a special version from the Royal Mercedes-Benz company, which ordinary people cannot buy even if they have money.

In addition to the most basic RV insurance, the income of the members of the Royal Society has also increased significantly over this long period of time.

Decades have passed since the founding of the Royal Academy of Spain. The research conducted by the Royal Academy has played a significant role in the development of Spain, and Carlos has never been stingy with the contributions of its members.

According to records, the Royal Society currently has 3742 members, including 1846 first-class members, 1175 second-class members, and 721 third-class members.

Including those scientists who have passed away, fewer than five thousand people have ever received the title of academician of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences.

This also shows that the title of Academician of the Royal Spanish Academy is very prestigious. Without exception, scientists who can obtain the title of Academician are all leaders in their respective fields, and can be regarded as rare geniuses even in Europe.

Of these numerous members of the Royal Society, a total of 216 were granted noble titles. Among them, 156 were granted non-hereditary noble titles, 42 were granted hereditary baronies, 12 were granted hereditary earls, 4 were granted hereditary marquesses, and 2 were granted hereditary dukes.

These two hundred-plus scientists, who were granted noble titles, proved one thing to the world: that, apart from military merit, ordinary people still have other ways to rise to the ranks of nobles and high-ranking officials in the country.

Thanks to the strong promotion of these scientists by the Spanish government and royal family, military and scientific jobs have become the most popular careers among Spanish teenagers.

Both professions can contribute to the country. Those with better academic talent will choose to become scientists, while those with less academic talent will try to enlist in the army.

Besides its renowned reputation in Spain, the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences now enjoys a great reputation in Europe and even the world.

For many European scientists, joining the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences is a dream come true. Besides the benefits and perks enjoyed by members of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences, the adoration and admiration shown by the Spanish public for its members is another reason why many European scientists aspire to join.

Most scientists can be divided into two types: those who are motivated by fame and fortune, and those who are genuinely passionate about scientific research.

As long as one can join the Royal Spanish Academy, regardless of what kind of scientist one is, one's goals can be achieved.

For those seeking fame and fortune, the Royal Spanish Academy offers top-tier salaries in Europe and the world, along with a variety of benefits and subsidies, making their income far exceed that of scientists of similar standing in other countries.

If you are simply passionate about scientific research, the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences has sufficient research and development budget. Capable scientists can even apply for a private laboratory to devote themselves wholeheartedly to scientific research without worrying about the research and development budget.

These two points alone are enough to greatly enhance the standing of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences among European scientists.

If the Royal Academy of Sciences hadn't repeatedly increased the difficulty of its entrance examinations over a long period, the number of members of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain today would probably be in the tens of thousands.

The Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences is the highest institution of science in Spain, and the number of its members still needs to be controlled to a certain extent.

After all, if the number of academicians in the Chinese Academy of Sciences were to reach tens of thousands, the prestige of the title of academician would naturally decrease.

For Spain, the number of members of the Royal Academy of Sciences should always be maintained at several thousand. As for scientists who want to join the Royal Academy of Sciences, there are many other research institutions besides the Royal Academy of Sciences that they can enter, and they can also enjoy a variety of benefits and research funding.

It is worth mentioning that the economic depression in European countries after World War II was also a reason for the large-scale exodus of scientists from these countries. The economic depression led to frequent bankruptcies of capitalists, and scientists who already lacked research funding naturally lost their source of funding.

Don't underestimate the power of capitalists' funding for scientists; in some cases, it can be a significant boost to scientific development. Although these capitalists' funding isn't entirely pure—they want the revenue generated from scientific research—they are not entirely without a purpose.

However, it is undeniable that it was precisely because of the funding from these capitalists that a large number of scientists were able to obtain sufficient research and development funds, thereby promoting scientific and technological progress.

With the economies of European countries now in recession, scientists in those countries are unable to obtain sufficient research funding, naturally making them even more envious of Spanish scientists.

In addition to funding from domestic capitalists, Spanish scientists also receive funding from the royal family, which allows them to focus wholeheartedly on their scientific research.

Unless you're a scientist with little ability but lofty ambitions, it's relatively easy for most scientists with some talent to realize their ideals and ambitions in Spain.

Not to mention European scientists, many American scientists also choose to come to Spain to seek opportunities.

Unfortunately, since the flu outbreak, the economic situation in the United States has been extremely poor. Big cities are more chaotic than imagined; they appear to be civilized metropolises by day, but at night they turn into gladiatorial arenas for Black and white people.

Even in predominantly white neighborhoods, white groups from different ethnic backgrounds organized various marches. Workers would occasionally stage a major strike, as if venting their anger towards the US government.

Such an environment is extremely undesirable for scientists who genuinely want to conduct scientific research.

Capitalists cannot make money in such an economic environment, and those who cannot make money will naturally not fund scientists, thus creating a vicious cycle.

It is worth mentioning that only a small fraction of these scientists who came to Spain from the United States were actually Americans.

The majority of the rest were immigrants from Europe to the United States, who eventually chose to return to Europe after finding that the environment in the United States was not as stable as in Europe.

This can be seen as the US having to give back everything it had taken in. The loss of a large number of scientists is definitely bad news for the US, but good news for Spain.

Without these scientists, it wouldn't have been so easy for the United States to successfully develop the atomic bomb during World War II.

Even if the United States doesn't subsequently split, it will definitely be weaker than it was at the same historical period. This also means that Carlo will have more time to manipulate the world situation and create greater trouble for the Americans.

When discussing the field of science in Spain, one award that cannot be overlooked is the long-established Carlo Award.

This award is an international prize established by Carlo, modeled after the Nobel Prize in history. It originally had six categories: Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, and Science.

With the development of the times, the Carlo Award has established a brand new award, the Contribution to Humanity Award, which is specifically used to reward people who have made contributions to human causes.

Originally, the prize money for each award was only 80 pesetas, but after several increases, it has now been raised to 150 million pesetas.

Based on the exchange rate between the peseta and the pound, the winner of the Carlo Award would receive approximately £6, which is by no means a small sum.

Based on the exchange rate of one pound to 7.33 grams of gold, a prize of 6 pounds is roughly equivalent to 439.8 kilograms of gold, which is almost half a ton.

Besides the enormous prize money for each award in the Carlo Awards, the award's name, derived from the current Spanish Emperor Carlo, also contributes to its immense popularity.

Few Europeans who regularly follow news from the outside world are unaware of the name of Emperor Juan Carlos of Spain. It's undeniable that Juan Carlos is currently the most well-known monarch in Europe; any mention of his name in the news easily attracts considerable attention.

The Carlo Prize, established and named by Carlo himself, naturally inherited Carlo's high profile and quickly became the highest scientific award recognized in Europe and even the world.

The Carlo Award has been presented dozens of times to date. The year-end ceremony for the Carlo Award is always a highly anticipated event in Europe and around the world.

Every scientist who wins the Carlo Award, even if they were previously unknown, can become an overnight sensation and instantly become a well-known scientist in Europe.

The immense fame and fortune brought by the Carlo Prize have made it a highly coveted prize among European scientists, who consider winning it the most glorious moment of their lives.

To ensure the impartiality of the Carlo Prize judging process, the awarding of the seven Carlo Prizes each year is led by the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences, which bring together top scientists from many Spanish universities and invite leading experts from many renowned European academies to conduct a comprehensive evaluation that lasts for more than a month.

To date, the European scientific community generally recognizes the impartiality of the Carlo Prize in Spain.

Although the award was established by the Spanish emperor, the Carlo Award did not show any favoritism towards Spaniards when it was awarded, but treated all scientists from various countries equally.

The fairness and impartiality of the award is something Carlo has always wanted to maintain. As long as the Carlo Prize remains a benchmark for the scientific community in Europe and the world, Spain can attract a large number of scientists by awarding the prize every year.

The award judging process also allows Spain to better understand the abilities and achievements of these scientists, and to attract them to join Spanish citizenship and become Spanish scientists based on their individual abilities and achievements, using different conditions.

Spain has repeatedly found this approach to be effective. Because the Carlo Award selection process is exceptionally fair and impartial, every Carlo Award winner possesses abilities that are among the most outstanding and top-tier globally.

Over the years, Spain has made extensive efforts to win over the scientists who have won the Carlo Award, and has eventually attracted nearly one-third of them to become Spanish citizens.

Although it's only one-third, it's still quite a lot. Most of this one-third came from Spain when the Carlo Award wasn't as well-known.

With the Carlo Award becoming the world's most recognized scientific award, it has become increasingly difficult for Spain to win over Carlo Award winners.

Whether a country is large or small, when it learns that a scientist from its own country has won the Carlo Award, the highest honor in the scientific community, the government will attach great importance to the scientist who won the award. Naturally, it is impossible for them to just stand by and watch these scientists be lured away by Spain.

Winning the Carlo Award is the best proof of these scientists' exceptional abilities. Governments around the world are generous in their support of scientists who have demonstrated their capabilities; whatever conditions Spain offers, other governments will offer even better to ensure these scientists remain in their countries.

Currently, Spain's only advantage in attracting top scientists is its relatively stable domestic situation and rapid economic and industrial development.
A stable environment is also something that many scientists value, since no one wants to live in a chaotic environment that could threaten their property or even their personal safety at any time.

(End of this chapter)