Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
The Government Programme sets as a national
priority
the fast scientific and technological development of
the country
and defines the Key figures and goals of that
development for the legislative period
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Quantitative goals
• Reaching 5.5 researchers/1000 active workers
• Increasing from 1.000 to 1.500 new PhD holders per year
• Increasing from 400 to 600 scientific publications per million inhabitants per year
• Trebling the number of patents registered in the European Patent Office and the US Patent Office
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
International indicators
• Increasing by 50% the number of new graduates in sciences and engineering per year
• Doubling public investment in scientific research, from 0.5% to 1.0% of the GDP
• Trebling private investment in R&D, which was only 0.24% of the GDP in 2003
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Scientific progress is a development
engine and a source of progress
• Public resources
• Broad social participation
• Growing appropriation of scientific and technological culture
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Main guidelines
• Investing in knowledge and in scientific and technical competence, measured at the highest international level
• Investing in human resources and in scientific and technological culture
• Investing in public and private R&D institutions, in their reinforcement, responsibility, organization and networking
• Investing in internationalization, quality and evaluation
• Investing in the economical valorisation of research
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Structural measures (Human Resources)
• Welcome of high-profile scientific and technical immigrants
• Launching competitions for programme contracts with scientific institutions aiming the financing individual research contracts for PhD holders
• Increasing the number of new PhD and post-PhD grants
• Creating grants for integration in research
• Welcoming researchers with permanent activity abroad
• Implementing an advanced training programme and PhDs in clinical research
• Creating or strengthening merit grants for students, especially in Science and Engineering areas
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Structural measures (Institutions)
• Following the State Laboratories reform programme
• Implementing new Associated Laboratories
• Revising the Multi-annual Financing Programme of every R&D Centres recognised by international assessment
• Implementing a scientific re-equipment programme
• Promoting the Research Projects Programme
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Structural measures (Higher Education)
• Creating invited chairs in Universities and research Institutions
• Supporting technological specialization programs created in polytechnic institutes
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Structural measures (Companies)
• Strengthening and promoting Research Consortia between Companies and R&D Centres
• Clarifying R&D budgets and programmes carried out in companies
• Re-launching the specific programme of insertion of PhD holders in companies
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Structural measures (Networks)
• Implementing common scientific equipment networks in State Laboratories
• Creating a network of large S&T international partnerships in association with international scientific organizations, foreign Universities and other top scientific and technological institutions
• Implementing the Thematic Research Network Programme
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
New initiatives
• Creating the National Grid Computing Infrastructure, INGRID
• Creating the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, INL
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
The establishment of this programme will involve an
increase in budget appropriations for the Ministry of
Science, Technology and Higher Education
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Organization of research centres and units
• re-evaluation and international evaluation
• suppression of units of insufficient quality
• strengthening of critical masses by aggregation of institutions
• compulsory creation of networks of resource
Portuguese American Post-Graduate Society
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)
• FCT was strengthened to function as a reference institution that guarantees the system of assessment and funding capable of assessing competences and international-level managers of science and technology
• FCT’s Scientific Councils organized according to international standards