Empire Rise: Spain

Chapter 157: The Weight Of The Invitation

It must be said that the number of talents in European countries in this era is still quite large. Although compared to those extremely famous top scientists, these excellent talents still lack some reputation.

But what they lack is not necessarily knowledge reserve and ability; it might just be a tiny bit of luck.

This is not an exaggeration. For example, regarding alternating current and direct current, people in posterity mostly only know about Edison and Tesla’s current war.

But in fact, during the long period of the entire electrification revolution, a large number of excellent electricity experts emerged from countries around the world.

Some may not have the ability to rank among top scientists, but some really just lacked that little bit of luck and fell behind others in scientific research.

Only the scientists who first obtain research results are recorded in history; as for the second and third to discover certain research results, they are often not known to the majority.

After Spain set its goal of attracting talent to many small and medium-sized countries in Europe, it quickly discovered many excellent scientists who lost their jobs due to the economic crisis.

These people’s abilities may not be top-notch, but they are also excellent research workers. For Spain, these people are also extremely important talent reserves like pillars, so they naturally cannot be let go.

Although the treatment given to them is slightly worse than that of top scientists, compared to their current situation of losing jobs in the economic crisis, it is obviously already a rare job.

Moreover, in the Royal Academy of Sciences, these excellent research workers will get more opportunities. The Royal Academy of Sciences has sufficient research and development funds; as long as they have the ability, they might change history and become founders in certain fields of research. As long as they can complete pioneering research, the Royal Academy of Sciences and Carlo will not be stingy with rewards. The most basic reward is regarding funds and property; higher up, there are rewards regarding nobility titles, directly making them members of Spain’s hereditary nobility.

This is explained in advance when inviting these research workers to join the Royal Academy of Sciences. As long as these scientists make outstanding contributions in various researches of the Royal Academy of Sciences, they are qualified to obtain Spain’s nobility title rewards.

Moreover, nobility titles are based on contributions. As long as the contribution is large enough, what’s wrong with leaping to become a duke of Spain?

Although new aristocrats will not have territories, this heritable nobility title and the huge improvement in identity status are equally irresistible to these scientists.

Don’t forget that most European countries are currently under monarchical rule. Except for France, this rather special great power, all great powers in Europe are monarchy countries.

This also leads to these scientists not rejecting monarchy; even many French scientists support the monarchical system.

After all, Napoleon III’s rule ended only a few years ago, and the royalist party forces in France are still the largest power class.

Attracting these foreign experts has another advantage: the foreign patents they have access to can be used freely.

Of course, doing so is absolutely infringing on patent rights. But the problem is, this is not the highly developed transportation and economy of posterity.

In this era, any transnational patent case can mentally collapse a company. If others are in a good mood, they might give some transnational patent fees; if in a bad mood, they just copy the patent directly.

Unless the company owning the patent rights has certain right to speak in its own country, and that country also has certain right to speak internationally, otherwise in facing transnational patent disputes, they basically get no benefits.

Other countries can just delay for several years. In those several years, they would have already developed new things based on the original patents, and even counter-accuse the other party of copying their patents.

Of course, transnational patent cases ultimately still have to be litigated in the infringing country. Litigating against Spain and Spanish enterprises—how could such a situation lose?

Although doing so is inevitably somewhat immoral, it is indeed the choice of most countries and enterprises in this era. Rather than hoping for patent fees waiting for others’ charity, it’s better to transform research results into huge profits, earn money first for subsequent research and development.

Just like the two famous cola brands in posterity. Although the cola formula looks mysterious, it is actually not too difficult.

Perhaps not able to imitate 100%, but imitating over 90% is no problem. But precisely because the two cola brands have already occupied a huge market, it is already very difficult for other brands to enter the cola market.

Moreover, the two leading brands, relying on the huge profits obtained early, frantically expanded their production lines, thereby greatly reducing their product costs.

Enterprises entering the market later face high costs from small-scale production; just the cost gap alone has destined that other enterprises will find it hard to compete with the two major enterprises in the cola field.

The low selling prices maintained by cola in posterity are actually a open scheme born from the above factors. The two cola brands, due to low costs from large-scale production, can naturally obtain income at low selling prices.

But those later-entering enterprises, under higher costs, find it hard to maintain low selling prices. If selling prices cannot form an advantage, how can they compete with the two brands that have already occupied most of the market?

Carlo’s conception for the automotive field is the same. If Benz and they can precede Ford Motor Company in history to pioneer assembly line production, first research and develop cars and mass-produce them, they can occupy certain advantages in the automobile market.

When other brands officially cultivate the automobile market, what they face is Benz Company, which has formed certain brand influence and effectively reduced costs through high market share.

It’s quite a pity that Carlo cannot provide much help in the stage of attracting talent.

This is also unavoidable; the famous people and famous scientists Carlo is familiar with are mostly those who became renowned at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, and many even gained certain reputation during World War I and II.

Just like the world-famous Einstein, who has not yet been born. Madame Curie, who discovered radium and entered textbooks, is still a child at this time. Nikola Tesla, who waged the current war with Edison, is only 17 years old now.

Although these people will all make huge names in the future, it is obviously not suitable to contact them too much now.

It might cause them, due to extra contact and changes in early life, to no longer have the opportunity to become the historically renowned selves.

For the convenience of digging talent in his future, Carlo did not interfere too much with the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau and the government’s discovery and excavation of talent.

In short, it’s one sentence: believe in those excellent talents born in this era, and don’t overly worship famous figures in history.

Although some are born with talent, it cannot be denied that early life experiences are also important factors for geniuses to progress and grow.

In fact, as long as digging these pillar-like excellent talents from various countries, Spain can also cultivate its own excellent talents relying on their knowledge reserve.

Although historical Spain did not produce Nobel Prize winners in physics and chemistry, who can be sure that Spain in this world will not, under Carlo’s vigorous cultivation, produce a few talented famous scientists?

Back to Spain’s talent attraction actions. There are many scientists in Europe, and these scientists’ personalities are also vastly different.

The easier ones to handle are those scientists who value their own interests and income. These people only need to be tempted with money, and they will basically agree to come to Spain.

And those who focus more on scientific research can be handled by the Royal Academy of Sciences stepping forward. The Royal Academy of Sciences can provide excellent research environments and sufficient research funding, and being a Royal Academy of Sciences academician is also an affirmation of identity.

Finally, those who not only focus on scientific research but also value their own identity and status are personally invited by Carlo, as King of Spain, to come to Spain to serve important positions in universities, such as vice dean of the academy, vice principal of the university, and honorary principal, etc.

A king’s personal invitation, and serving important positions in academies and universities, can be said to give full face to these scientists.

Of course, those with such treatment are basically scientists who already have certain fame and status. These people have achievements in their fields, so they are naturally worth Carlo personally attracting.

Of course, these fields are basically the research areas Spain values highly, such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc. As for literary giants in literature, sorry, Spain is not very interested.

Although cultural propaganda is also important, such work is sufficient with Spain’s domestic literary workers. Carlo has no interest in inviting foreign literary giants; after all, those in literature are generally very aloof, simply put, very troublesome.

June 22, 1873, Portugal.

“Manuel, did you also receive an invitation from His Majesty the King of Spain?” In a hospital that was obviously already bankrupt, a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties said to his friend in front of him.

“Yes.” The man named Manuel nodded, without any concealment: “Although I don’t want to leave Portugal, Portugal now has no job for me.”

Although the economic crisis Portugal suffered was not severe, Portugal itself is not a powerful country. When other countries face economic crises, small and medium countries like Portugal instead became targets for transferring economic crises.

How to transfer economic crises? Of course, by dumping large amounts of industrial products to countries like Portugal to exchange for certain income and alleviate the economic pressure on various enterprises.

Portugal’s native industry simply cannot withstand the impact of foreign industrial products; under purposeful dumping from other countries, the number of bankrupt native enterprises in Portugal is also countless.

This is also the sorrow of weak small countries, because weak small countries cannot choose their own destiny at all. But Portugal cannot say anything, because the ones dumping industrial products to Portugal are all countries it cannot afford to provoke.

This is also why Spain’s economic crisis is not severe. If Spain also suffered a severe economic crisis, it would definitely dump industrial products to Portugal.

Spain, on the same Iberian Peninsula, has not much transportation burden; if dumping large amounts of industrial products to Portugal, Portugal might not be able to bear it.

The middle-aged man who spoke first nodded without any surprise, a helpless bitter smile appearing on his face: “Buddy, it seems we have to go to Spain together.”

Manuel was stunned, looked at his friend, who was also his fellow disciple, and asked with some surprise: “You’re going to Spain too? Egaz?”

Egaz nodded and said: “Actually, I don’t want to leave Portugal either. But no way, the conditions offered by the Spanish side are too high. Vice dean of Zaragoza Medical College, second-level academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences, senior expert of the Royal Academy of Sciences Medical Research Institute—who can refuse that?”

Manuel was stunned, looking at his friend with some surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Egaz was somewhat puzzled; why did his good friend suddenly show such an expression?

“The conditions offered to me by the Spanish side are also second-level academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences and senior expert of the Royal Academy of Sciences Medical Research Institute, but my job is at the Royal Medical College, also as vice dean.” Manuel shook his head and said with a bitter smile.

Egaz was also stunned, and finally could only blurt out: “It seems that His Majesty the King of Spain is serious about attracting talent this time. But that’s to be expected—who can refuse such generous conditions?”

It must be said that the conditions offered to Manuel and Egaz were indeed personally promised by Carlo. These two come from the same school; their teacher is Portugal’s renowned medical expert Bernardino Antonio Gomes.

As Portugal’s first dermatologist, Bernardino Antonio Gomes once served the Portuguese Royal Family and worked on typhoid fever and infectious diseases for many years.

Over his many years traveling between Portugal and Brazil, he published many reports on plant morphology and medicinal properties, as well as incidence and treatment methods of infectious diseases, enjoying high prestige in Portugal’s medical community.

His two disciples, Manuel and Egaz, also obtained medical doctorates early and held important positions in private hospitals in Portugal.

But unfortunately, although this private hospital was large-scale, it was also affected during the economic crisis.

There are many scientists with experiences similar to Manuel and Egaz; they are also on Spain’s talent attraction list.

To make these talents feel sufficiently respected, Spain’s talent attraction uniformly uses the name of the royal family and the Royal Academy of Sciences to invite these famous scientists and talents to take positions in various universities and serve as academicians and other positions in the Royal Academy of Sciences.

In addition to an invitation issued in Carlo’s name, there is also attached under the invitation a detailed list of salaries and treatments for various positions.

Just being a second-level academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences already has high income, not to mention important positions in various universities as main jobs, with income even higher than their original jobs.

More importantly, because of having the identity of Royal Academy of Sciences academician, they can use the Royal Academy of Sciences’ large laboratories and have their own research and development funds.

If they don’t like competing with other academicians for large laboratory usage time, they can also use the research rooms of various universities conveniently due to their university positions.

After growing to third-level academicians, they will also have the right to establish their own laboratories. This is also the most attractive part for those talents; after all, who doesn’t want to have a laboratory of their own, without worrying about research funding, and conduct research freely?

Of course, the Royal Academy of Sciences will review all research projects submitted by academicians to ensure they are researching useful projects.

Even certain more important projects can enjoy unlimited research funds, provided that all research funds must be used properly.

If scientists pocket all the research funds, the Royal Academy of Sciences is not to be trifled with.

The purpose of Carlo establishing the Royal Academy of Sciences is to provide laboratories and research and development funds for capable scientists to help them conduct experiments, not for fake scientists who only pursue personal desires, forge experimental results, or even misappropriate research funds.

Spain’s talent attraction actions are still quite smooth. Needless to say, the way of attracting with both fame and fortune is indeed attractive enough.

Within a month of issuing the invitations, hundreds of replies were received, most of which were willing to come to Spain.

Of course, these people naturally cannot all serve important positions. Still, most ordinary talents can only serve as first-level academicians of the Royal Academy of Sciences and professors at certain universities, or directly have no qualification to enter the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Carlo naturally accepts all these talents without mistake. Even if some indeed have not very strong abilities, they have certain theoretical knowledge and can still be professors at universities.

After all, those excellent scientists’ main direction is still researching their own projects, and they have little time to cultivate excellent talents.

Although some invitations were rejected, those scientists’ replies were quite tactful, also giving full respect to Carlo and the Spanish Government.

After all, it is recognition from a country’s king and government; even if cooperation cannot be reached, it is at least a proof of one’s own ability.

Invitations printed with the Spanish Royal Family emblem can even become a bragging tool. After all, whether one received an invitation or not represents whether one is valued in Spain, right?

Scientists not valued are, plainly speaking, those without much ability, right?

Precisely because of this, even scientists who rejected the invitations have quite polite attitudes. Some even collect the invitations as if they were award certificates.

Five thousand word two-in-one chapter seeking support!