As we gathered on May 6, 2025, to celebrate the date of INESC TEC’s 40th anniversary, we revisited not only an institutional journey but a deeply human one. Behind every step, every outcome, every boundary pushed, we were – and we are – people together at work: thinking, creating, questioning, building.
Forty years ago, a bold idea took root in Porto: to combine science and innovation, as a community, in service of the country’s transformation. It emerged from the convergence of a moment of national change, a horizon of European aspiration, and the courage, conviction, curiosity, and shared sense of purpose of those who brought it into being.
We often speak in terms of goals, of what we aim to achieve as an institution. But we are defined just as much by how each of us, in our own way of participating in this community, brings meaning to those goals. The questions we ask. The values we hold. The ways we show up, again and again, when the path is uncertain and the stakes are high. And ours often is – by choice.
In recent years, we have taken deliberate steps to define our collective ambition: to innovate for excellence, focus on the toughest challenges, create relevance through integration, cultivate our community, and sustain a sound operational model. These are calls to action that only come alive through the way we work, relate, and grow together. The human journey is not a layer we add to our strategy, it is the force that animates it.
Looking ahead, our strategy translates into actions that involve people at every level. We are working closely with our academic partners to bring in talent for the areas that matter most to our future. We are connecting disciplines and ecosystems more intentionally because the challenges we face today, more than ever, demand shared insight and joint effort.
In societal challenges, we are stepping into a more active role: helping mould innovation itself. This depends critically on the initiative and trust we build with our partners. Internationally, we are building on the visibility and leadership our teams have already achieved in European research and scaling up the support to our researchers in growing their networks, mobility, and influence. Nationally, we are learning to look outward with greater clarity. As our presence grows, so does our role in how science and technology are seen, valued, and framed in our society. That work belongs to all of us.
And as we pursue these sharper goals, we are also preparing for what lies beyond them. Through new efforts in foresight and long-term strategy, both here and in European collaborations, we are building the capacity to anticipate, adapt, and lead with purpose in the years to come.
So here’s to our community. To your judgment, your risk-taking, your quiet leadership. To the meaningful differences you make, in our results, and in how we arrive at them. And to the future we are building, together, step by step, with purpose and creativity.
By João Claro, Chairman of the Board and CEO of INESC TEC
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