Four decades contributing to the development of science and technology

The establishment of INESC in 1980 aimed to overcome the country’s long-standing backwardness in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. The innovative model proposed by INESC – creating private, non-profit R&D institutions associated with universities, but independent of the latter – enabled it to overcome many limitations of the higher education system at the time, where the culture of research, development, and innovation was still quite incipient. Many of the top scientific institutions that exist today have adopted the model that INESC pioneered; and the fact that Portugal is nowadays better positioned internationally in terms of quality and quantity of scientific research is partly due to INESC’s role.  

Event after four decades, the INESC ecosystem continues to intervene decisively in an area quite close to where it began its activity, something that shows a clear strategic vision. Information and communication technologies have become the cornerstone of countries’ economic development – a reality that was somewhat predictable 40 years ago, yet still surprising if we think that, at that time, the Internet was only a relatively vague mirage. The projects developed during the early years of INESC – that now seem simple and primitive – were crucial to the production of knowledge and, above all, to the creation of a culture of know-how that is an important part of our capital.  

The division of INESC into five independent institutions, near the turn of the century, was also a decisive factor that ended up favouring the development of new activities and leaderships, as well as new and greater ambitions – even though it was motivated by essentially external constraints. Although a share of the global coordination and collaboration aptitude between researchers located in different geographies has been lost, there has been an increase in terms of enterprise, dynamism, and the ability to achieve a scale that would otherwise be difficult to manage. 

Of the five INESC institutions dedicated to R&D activities, INESC TEC is perhaps the one that best demonstrates the evolution that has taken place over this period. The level of professionalism of the board, R&D units and support services is certainly far beyond anything anticipated by the founders – even considering their international experience, in countries with more developed institutions. Today, INESC TEC is perceived as a model institution, not only at the national level, but also at the international level, despite the limitations imposed on our operation by the peculiarities and traits of our country, such as the burden of bureaucracy, the instability of financing mechanisms, or the legal limitations imposed on most of the public institutions with which we collaborate. 

The effort to prepare the strategic plan, which is being carried out, is a testament to INESC TEC’s maturity as an institution. Both the elaboration process and the result – which we will reach soon – demonstrate an institutional maturity that is rare in Portugal and, in my opinion, practically unique among the institutions of the Portuguese R&D system. The strategic plan should be used to identify and address the aspects where the most significant improvements must be achieved, besides contributing to harmonise the efforts of the entire community.  

Competition for talent and innovation is global, and we cannot rest on our laurels. Like the Red Queen in “Alice in Wonderland”, we must run faster and faster just to maintain our position in the face of competition. This will be our challenge for the upcoming decades. 

Arlindo Oliveira, President of INESC