The people at the heart of INESC TEC’s strategy

In 2024, INESC TEC takes on a significant change in its purpose, mission, and values, according to a strategic plan that establishes the guidelines for the future of the institution. 

Our purpose – To create a fulfilling and sustainable future through impactful science, technology, and innovation – becomes the motto behind the development of our activities. In this sense, we aim to be a major agent in creating value for the country, producing science, technology, and innovation with an impact on society, capable of contributing significantly to address the challenges it faces today.  

At a time when AI tools play an increasingly vital role in the evolution of knowledge, it is clear to me that they can hardly ever replace the ability of humans to dream, devise, draw and create, from their knowledge, on a blank sheet. 

Thus, we absolutely depend on the talent, creativity, motivation, and commitment of our people, without whom nothing is possible.  

From this perspective, we aim to reinforce the work that has been done recently, to further humanise the institution, working on our complex structure that incorporates people dynamically and proportionally to their status (Grant Holders, Employees, and Academic Staff).  

As vital agents to success, we must be able to provide the means for each person to grow and improve in a rewarding and meaningful way, according to their professional needs and ambitions. 

From attraction to development and training, through hiring and adequate welcoming, we want everyone to feel that INESC TEC is an agent of knowledge, which allows them to advance their career in a vibrant way – whether temporarily or permanently in the organisation.  

We are implementing a people management framework to support individual growth and evolution, which allows different paths of personal and professional development.  

We will encourage the strengthening of personal competencies, ensuring that each person can contribute to collective achievement, and be duly and deservedly recognised and rewarded. We are already promoting well-being and work-life balance – in particular, supporting parental responsibilities and flexibility for family obligations, with emphasis, of course, on teleworking and the four-day workweek pilot. We are also creating mechanisms to identify individual psychological or material difficulties, so that we can provide proactive support to overcome said barriers. Finally, we are also studying – supported by the Commission for Diversity and Inclusion – the needs of people who are diverse in terms of age, culture, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion, etc., so that everyone feels welcomed and valued. 

It is a difficult and demanding job; but I am sure that, in the end, we will feel that being part of this sui generis family is quite rewarding, and that we will be even better prepared to fulfil our purpose. 

Luís Seca, Member of the Executive Board