The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, known in its early years as Secretary of State for Universities and Research, is the second highest office of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain. The Secretary of State is appointed by the Monarch at the request the Science Minister.

As the second highest office of the Ministry, the Secretary of State is responsible for the direction of the responsibilities assigned to the Ministry over science, R&D&I and universities. The Secretary of State designes and directs, in coordination with the Secretary of State for Education, the scholarship and study aid programs and coordinated the efforts of the different Spanish public administrations and the European institutions.

The Secretary of State also takes care of the well administration and distribution of the European Union funds destined to universities, science and research and it secures the equal and universal access and no discrimination to universities and science with special attention to the role of women in this area.^[1]

Because of his position, the Secretary of State is also the president of the State Research Agency and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology.

The Secretariat of State was created for the first time in 1977^[2] with the name of Secretariat of State for Universities and Innovation and was integrated in the Ministry of Education and Science but it was soon replaced by the Ministry of Universities and Science created in 1979.^[3] This ministry was suppressed in 1981 and the secretariat of state was activated again and integrated in the Ministry of Education.

The significant modification happened in 2000. During the Second Aznar Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology was created and assumed the competences over R&D&I and science,^[4] but the competences over universities were maintained in the Ministry of Education. At this time, the Secretary of State for Education assumed the competences over universities and in the Ministry of Science was created the Secretariat of State for Scientific and Technological Policy.

In 2004, the Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero merged the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and the Secretariat of State for Universities and Research was created again. In his second government, Zapatero revived the Ministry of Science but split the secretariat of state in two. In 2009 the Secretariat of State for Universities was suppressed and all its competences were assumed by the General Secretariat of Universities in the Ministry of Education.^[5]

In 2012, the new government of Mariano Rajoy continued with the major austerity plan started by Zapatero to improve the economy which started with the reduction of dozens of high-ranking officials. This provoked that disappearance of the Ministry of Science and most of its competences were granted to the Ministry of Economy, which had as one of its major departments the Secretariat of State for Research, Development and Innovation. The General Secretariat for Universities was also eliminated and its competences were assumed, once again, by the Secretary of State for Education.^[6]

Once that the crisis was over, the change of government in 2018 it brought with it the enlargement of the State Administration with the creation of new ministerial departments like the Ministry of Science, that assumed its old competences.

• Secretary of State for Universities and Research (1977–1979; 1981–1996; 2004–2008)
• Secretary of State for Universities, Research and Innovation (1996–2000)
• Secretary of State for Education and Universities (2000–2004)
• Secretary of State for Scientific and Technological Policy (2000–2004)
• Secretary of State for Universities and Research (2004–2008).
• Secretary of State for Universities (2008–2009)
• Secretary of State for Research (2008–2011)
• Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation (2011–2018).
• Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities (2011–2018).
• Secretary of State for Universities, Research, Development and Innovation (2018–2020)
• Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities (2023–)

To carry out its duties, the Secretariat of State is divided in five major departments and two non-ministerial bodies:^[7]

• The General Secretariat for Research.

  It is the department responsible for the promotion of R&D&I, the promotion of the Spanish participation in the European Union R&D&I programs and the scientific divulgation. It also supervises all the scientific institutions of the country.

• The General Secretariat for Universities.

  It is a department that has a long history inside of the Administration and that sometimes was granted with autonomy. It's the highest university body responsible for developing the university policy, it elaborates regulation drafts and it promotes the scientific collaboration in universities in coordination with the General Secretariat for Research.

• The General Secretariat for Innovation.

  It is the department responsible for innovation and knowledge transfer.

  The General Secretariat for Innovation is divided in three departments: the Deputy Directorate-General for Innovation Promotion, the Deputy Directorate-General for Innovation Coordination and aTechnical Cabinet.

• The Directorate-General for Planning, Coordination and Knowledge Transfer.
• The Special Commissioner for Vanguard Health.

Along with the mentioned departments, the Secretariat of State is the directly responsible of the State Research Agency and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology.

The coloured secretaries of state hadn't all the competences described in this article.