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Science 2010 – Meeting Science in Portugal: Themes relating to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
As mentioned in the news item Science 2010 – Meeting Science in Portugal : Topics Related to the Internet of the Future, on the 4 and 7 July 2010 the 4th Meeting with Science will take place at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, in Junqueira, Lisbon. The sessions outlined in the SCIENCE 2010 Meeting Programme will be webcast in audio and video in real time through FCCN – the Foundation for National Scientific Computation , and will be archived for hearing/viewing at any time. This Meeting brings together scientific institutions and companies to discuss some of the most important areas of scientific activity in Portugal, as well as scientific and technological advances in the following areas:
Science 2010 – Meeting Science in Portugal : Topics Related to the Internet of the Future
The 4th Meeting with the Scientific Community in Portugal: Ciência 2010, organized by the Council of Associated Laboratories in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, takes place on 4 and 7 July 2010 at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, Junqueira, Lisbon. The opening session begins on Sunday, 4 July at 16:00.

The sessions given at the SCIENCE 2010 Meeting Programme are to be transmitted in real–time video and audio over the Internet (webcast) through FCCN - The Foundation for National Scientific Computation and will be archived for hearing/viewing at any time.
UMIC Supports the University of Algarve New Medical School Program
On September 4, 2009, in a ceremony held at the University of Algarve chaired by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, the President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and the Rector of the University of Algarve signed a protocol regarding the support by UMIC of 1.6 million euros for an initial investment in the medical school whose classes will started on September 8, 2009. The funding now provided is intended for educational content, infrastructure, hardware, and related human resources.
Gulbenkian 2009 Science Award
On 20 July 2009 at the headquarters of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, the 2009 Gulbenkian Science Prize was awarded to Maria João Saraiva, of the IBMC – Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology and ICBAS– the Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences.

The 54 year-old scientist was given the award in recognition of the work she has carried out in the area of biomedicine and in particular research into the mechanisms of Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (FAP). Whilst the name of the eminent neurologist Corino de Andrade will always remain associated with the description of the disease, that of Maria João Saraiva has been associated with the biochemical and genetic mechanisms responsible for the disease, particularly the formation of amyloid molecular deposits derived from transthyretin (TTR), especially in the peripheral nerves.
Highly Qualified Foreigners Attracted to Portugal more than Doubles from 2007 to 2008
In 2008 Portugal attracted 533 highly qualified foreigners from outside the European space, more than double that in 2007, according to data from the Contact Group set up in 2006 to promote and simplify the process of hiring teaching members of staff, researchers and other highly qualified foreigners, under the scope of the Simplex Programme.

The highly qualified foreigners who came to Portugal in 2008 originate from more than 40 countries, and in particular Brazil (223 visas granted), China (39 visas granted), India (34 visas granted) and the United States of America (24 visas granted).
Session to Open the European Year of Creativity and Innovation
The official opening of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation in Portugal took place on 2 February 2009 in the Belem Cultural Centre.

The morning session consisted of the guest speaker, Don Tapscoot, giving a talk entitled “Governance 2.0: How the Internet Generation is changing governance, innovation and democracy”.
Call for Pre-Proposals for Setting Up and Operating R&D Consortia
Programme to Promote State Laboratories

The FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, IP and the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) have invited the National Scientific and Technological Community to submit proposals for the setting up of Research and Development Consortia (R&D), as envisaged in the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 124/2006 (in Portuguese), of 3 October, concerning reform of the State’s Laboratories.. The setting up of these R&D Consortia involves competitive support for the development of R&D centres and networks, their involvement in national and international partnerships and dynamising their R&D capacities.
EUROHORCS High Level Workshop
A High Level Workshop took place on 17-18 January in Lisbon, co-organised by the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal and by EUROHORCS – European Heads of Research Councils, bringing together members of the Governments of various European countries responsible for Science, the Director-General for Research of the European Commission and members of EUROHORCS, with the aim of discussing research policies and the need to create new instruments within the scope of the financing and executive organisations which form part of EUROHORCS.
Publication of the Results of the International Assessment of Research Units
The Results of the International Assessment of Research Units, covered by the Multiannual Financing Programme for the FCT R&D Units, were published by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, IP, on 17 December 2008.

The process of international assessment of the country’s research units, started in 1996 and repeated in 1999-2000 and 2002-2004, follows international standards and analyses, in particular, the best work selected by each R&D unit, in order to allow analysis by independent specialists of the scientific activity carried out, as opposed to using merely quantitative indicators.
R&D Activities in Portugal show the Largest Growth in any EU country
Portugal was the EU country which showed the largest growth in R&D expenditure in terms of GDP from 2005 to 2007, reaching 1.18% of GDP when in 2005 it was just 0.81% of GDP. Portugal is now close to Spain (1.22%) and Ireland (1.31%), and has passed Hungary (0.97%), Italy (1.09%) and Estonia (1.14%).

R&D expenditure in terms of GDP more than doubled from to 2005 to 2007, reaching 0.61% of GDP when in 2005 it was just 0.29% of GDP. For the first time R&D expenditure in companies was greater than the amount recorded for other institutions. The number of companies with R&D activities showed unparalleled growth, rising from around 930 in 2005 to more than 1,500 in 2007.

There was a large increase in the number of researchers in the active population, rising from 3.8‰ in 2005 to 5.0‰ in 2007, with the number of researchers equivalent to full time posts doubling in the last ten years (from around 14 thousand in 1997 to around 28 thousand in 2007). The number of researchers in the active population is now close to the EU27 average (5.6‰), although this is still lower that the OCDE average (7.0‰).

The number of researchers in companies more than doubled from 2005 to 2007, moving from around 4 thousand to 8.6 thousand, and was accompanied by an increase in the number of researchers which companies stated as having PhDs (around 360 in 2007).
Forum Ciência Viva 2008
Forum Ciência Viva 2008 took place on 22 and 23 November 2008 in Pavilion 3 of FIL - Feira das Indústrias de Lisboa, in Parque das Nações in Lisbon. This was a major event which was open to the public and included the participation of schools, scientific institutions, researchers, local authorities and other bodies which have contributed towards the dissemination of Science and Technology in Portugal, and which took place at the start of the Science and Technology Week.

Fórum Ciência Viva 2008, included an exhibition on various thematic issues, including Life Sciences, Physics, Nanotechnology, Engineering and Social Sciences, with dozens of scientific institutions and R&D companies present as well as a Network of Ciência Viva Centres, and involved workshops and debates with the participation of reputed scientists. Also represented at the Forum were the International Partnerships MIT-Portugal, CMU-Portugal, UT Austin-Portugal and Fraunhofer-Portugal, who brought many of their students to Lisbon and enabled the public to get to know and interact with the machines and practical applications resulting from their activities.
Technological Portugal 2008
Pavilions 2 and 3 of FIL - the Industrial Fair of Lisbon, situated in Parque das Nações, in Lisbon, played host to the Fair “Technological Portugal 2008”, which was held on 18 to 23 November 2008 and which was open to the public as a whole, with the aim of providing contact with what is best in Portugal in the areas of technology, innovation and knowledge, including sectors such as Energy, Telecommunications, Education, Health, Tourism, Mobility, Security, and the Automobile Industry.

The central theme of the module on Science (content in portuguese) was the new frontiers in science and scientists in Portugal. This module included around 400 photographs of new scientists hired by scientific institutions in the last two years under the scope of the Programmeme to stimulate scientific employment, financed by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, which aims to ensure the contracting of at least more than 1,000 graduates by the end of the parliamentary term. There were also various installations in two distinct spaces, where events were organised under the scope of the Partnerships for the Future activity integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future (text in Portuguese) initiative.
Portuguese Young People amongst the Most Interested in Science News
September 2008 saw the publication of a report from Eurobarometer entitled Young People and Science, This was based on a survey carried out in September 2008 by the Gallup Organisation, Hungry, at the request of the Directorate-General for Research in the European Commission.
Portuguese Team wins Robot Soccer World Cup in China
A team from the University of Aveiro yesterday became the Robot Football World Champions in the Middle Size League in the RoboCup2008 world championships which this year are being held in Suzhou, in China. A team from the Technological University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands, came in 2nd place and 3rd place was occupied by a team from the University of Osnabruek, Germany.

Altogether 23 teams from 8 different countries enrolled in this event, with 17 teams managing to quality and 13 actually taking part in the championship: 5 from China, 2 two teams from Germany, Iran and Japan, and 1 team from the Netherlands and from Portugal.

The team from the University of Aveiro, named CAMBADA (short for Cooperative Autonomous Mobile roBots with Advanced Distributed Architecture), won 9 of the 11 games in the three elimination rounds and qualified for the semi-finals where the team faced the University of Stuttgart, from Germany, beating them 4-3. In the final the Portugal team defeated the team from the Technological University of Eindhoven, from the Netherlands, by 7 goals to 1.
Ciência 2008 – Meeting with the Scientific Community in Portugal
The 2nd Meeting with the Scientific Community in Portugal: Ciência 2008, organized by the Council of Associated Laboratories in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, took place on 2, 3 and 4 July 2008 at the premises of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.

The General Programme and the Detailed Programme of the Meeting are available at these sites, from where you can access the presentations via the links in their titles. The four concurrent sessions could be followed live over the Internet and seen later at the session archive.
Ciência 2008: More Scientists for Portugal
The Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, and the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Jose Mariano Gago, chaired a session on 12 May 2008 at 11 o'clock, in the Central Administration Building of the University of Aveiro on a set of new activities for Science in Portugal, which form part of the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future launched by the Government in March 2006.

The session also presented the results of government investment in science and launched some new ways of encouraging the development of science.
Book Published on the Future of Science and Technology in Europe
Information on the book The Future of Science and Technology in Europe, edited by the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, containing contributions from ministers of Science from different European countries concerning the way that different national policies have developed and contributed towards European scientific and technological progress, was given at the meeting of the European Council (Heads of State and Government) held in Brussels on 14 December 2007. This book has been published within the framework of the High Level Conference "The Future of Science and Technology in Europe" held in Lisbon on 8-10 October 2007 under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU.

The Portuguese EU Presidency wished to contribute a new impetus to implementing the Lisbon Strategy in the area of Science and Technology by giving it a renewed priority in national and European community agendas.
Workshop on Why do We Need Graduate Schools to Enlighten Science and Promote Research Universities?
As part of the Lisbon Research and Policy Workshops on Science, Technology and Social Change, organised under the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, a Workshop on Why do we need graduate schools to enlighten science and promote research universities? ... A dialogue across different experiences in Europe will be held on 10th and 11th December 2007 at the Fundação das Comunicações, Lisbon.

One of the aspects under the microscope is the increasing trend for post-graduate schools to be seen as an efficient way of locating basic research organisation and as drivers for innovation, and their increased links with industry and the entrepreneurial world.
Council of EU Science Ministers meeting approves Various Strategic Initiatives
The Council of the European Union’s Competitiveness Council dedicated to Research met on 23rd November 2007 in Brussels. Under the chairmanship of the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, Science ministers from EU countries and the European Commission, represented by the Commissioner for Research, Janez Potocnik, and the Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding, approved the agreement prepared by the Portuguese Presidency to launch the first public-private strategic partnerships between Member States, the European Commission and Industry, to a value of 9.3 billion euros, 50% to 60% funded by companies involved in the projects, depending on the initiative in question, and the remainder coming from the Commission and the EU’s Member States over the next six years. This represents an unprecedented investment in public-private partnerships in R&D aid policy in the EU and in addition to concentrating funds in specific initiatives, aims to encourage companies to invest more in R&D.
Workshop on New Financing Schemes for Fostering Science and Technological Innovation
As part of the Lisbon Research and Policy Workshops on Science, Technology and Social Change, organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, a Workshop on What is the potential of new financing schemes for fostering science and technological innovation? … Balancing private and public, national and global incentives, will be held on 12th – 13th November 2007 at the Fundação das Comunicações, Lisbon.

One of the aspects under examination will be the emergence of new funding possibilities, such as the channelling of global liquidity pool resources into science and technology, as well as using new risk management tools.
"The Future of Scientific Research in Portugal" Seminar
The “Future of Scientific Research in Portugal” Seminar is being held on 19th October 2007 at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP)’s Foz Campus in Porto in honour of Professor Francisco Carvalho Guerra.
Workshop on Real Science, Reliable Knowledge, "Open Science" and Property Knowledge
As part of the Lisbon Research and Policy Workshops on Science, Technology and Social Change (in Portuguese), organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, a Workshop on Real Science, Reliable Knowledge and the Complementarity of “Open Science” and Property Knowledge will be held on 1st-2nd October 2007 at the Fundação das Comunicações, Lisbon.
Workshop Revisiting Polytechnic and Vocational Education
As part of the Lisbon Research and Policy Workshops on Science, Technology and Social Change (in Portuguese), organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, a Workshop on Revisiting Polytechnic and Vocational Education – Looking at the complex nature of diversified higher education systems and their relation with new challenges in science and technology will be held on 15th-16th October 2007 at the Fundação das Comunicações, Lisbon.
High Level Conference "The Future of Science and Technology in Europe"
In the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, a High Level Conference on The Future of Science and Technology in Europe will be held from 8th to 10th October 2007 at the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon. Many of Europe’s most important institutional and scientific community stakeholders will be present at this conference.

The High Level Conference "The Future of Science and Technology in Europe" agenda, with links to the presentations available online, includes plenary sessions where discussions will be held on such topics as: challenges for Science and Technology (S&T) in Europe, promoting and attracting human resources to research, public and private investment in research, a vision of the future of S&T in Europe.
World Conference on Research Integrity
As part of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, the 1st World Conference on Research Integrity – Promoting Responsible Research, organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the US Office of Research Integrity (ORI) of the Department of Health and Human Services, USA, will be held from 16th to 19th September2007 in Lisbon. In Portugal, the organisation enjoys the support of the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES), the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG). For more information, go to the ESF web pages on this conference.
Informal Meeting of Ministers for Competitiveness Research
In the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU, the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Competitiveness – Research will be held on 19th-20th July 2007, as part of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU’s desire to contribute towards implementing the Lisbon Strategy in the Science and Technology field by providing a new impetus and to strengthen this topic’s standing on the European agenda seven years after the March 2000 European Council in Lisbon defined the strategic objective for the next decade of “making the EU the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economic area in the world, while providing sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and more social cohesion.”
Research and Policy Workshops in Lisbon on Science, Technology and Social Change
During the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, in the second half of 2007, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education organized a series of workshops on emerging policy topics in Science and Technology and processes related to social change. The aim of these workshops was to propose and discuss new informed ways of dealing with specific topics that are faced when drawing up policies, which often require multidisciplinary perspectives concerning the interactions and connections between science and technology and society, as well as between higher education and the social contexts of research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Workshop on High Tech Entrepreneurship: Implications for Science Policy and Education
As part of the Lisbon Research and Policy Workshops on Science, Technology and Social Change (in Portuguese), organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, a Workshop on High Tech Entrepreneurship: Implications for Science Policy and Education will be held on 5th – 6th July 2007 at the Fundação das Comunicações, Lisbon.

This workshop is being jointly organised with the CMU – Portugal Program’s PhD in Technological Change and Entrepreneurship Program.
European Research Council Meeting
In the scope of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU, the European Research Council will meet on 3rd-4th July 2007 in Lisbon. This will be the Presidency’s first official event in the Science and Technology field and as such is being given special attention through the organisation of a public event with the Scientific Council of the ERC and the Portuguese scientific community (text in Portuguese), on 3rd July, from 9-11 am at the Centro Cultural de Belém. The event will be attended by Portugal’s Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, and the Commissioner for Research, Janez Potocnik.
Ciência 2007 – Meeting with the Scientific Community in Portugal
The 1st Meeting with the Scientific Community in Portugal: Ciência 2007, organized by the Council of Associated Laboratories in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, took place on 12 and 13 April 2007 at the premises of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. The opening session was attended by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education.
Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future
On 29 March 2006 the Government launched the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative, through a speech by the Prime Minister in the Portuguese Parliament.

This initiative sets ambitious targets for 2009, and has adopted the following five major guidelines:
- Investing in scientific knowledge and scientific and technical competence measurable at the highest international level.
- Investing in Human Resources and Scientific and Technological Culture.
- Investing in public and private R&D institutions, and consolidating these, their responsibilities, organisation and online infrastructures.
- Investing in Internationalisation, Exigence and Evaluation.
- Investing in Enhancing the Economic Value of Research.
Open Source Software Agreement
At the Forum for the Information Society held in Aveiro on 10th March 2006, Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and the company Sun Microsystems signed a cooperation agreement on making open source software freely available to researchers, professors, students and civil servants conducting any activities related to teaching, research and the development of information technologies.