Born in 1934. PhD in Pharmacy. Director of the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre (Madrid, 1973-1978). Under-secretary of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (1974-1976). A member of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Education and Science (1977-1978) he later became Adviser to the Prime Minister on these questions. Minister of Education and Science (1981-1982), in 1987 he was elected a Member of the European Parliament. After being Deputy Director-General of UNESCO from 1978 to 1981, he returned to the Organization as Special Adviser to the Director-General (1983-1984), whom he succeeded in 1987.