International Relations News XXIV Portugal – Spain Summit XXIV Portugal – Spain Summit
- 22/01/2009
The XXIV Portugal – Spain Summit was held on 22nd January 2009 in Zamora, Spain. The following conclusions were approved in the fields of Science, Technology and Higher Education: “The two governments reaffirm their commitment to providing a joint boost to the science and technology systems of both countries as fundamental drivers in terms of improving productivity and developing solid knowledge and innovation-based economies.
With this in mind, they noted the advanced phase of the installation of the Braga International Nanotechnology Laboratory and promised to continue making efforts for it to start operating quickly and for projecting it internationally.
They also launched a new consolidated political cooperation mechanism for Science and Technology and reciprocally opened national R&D programmes, launched an Iberian scientific mobility Programme, the federated initiative to create an Iberian Supercomputing space, Grid computing (Ibergrid) and scientific repositories, they decided to participate together in international polar research programmes, on Alzheimer’s and other degenerative illnesses, cancer and regenerative medicine with stem cells and vegetable genomes, signing eleven specific Memoranda of Understanding. They shall also support the development of the European Research Area, as well as that of the European Higher Education Area as natural knowledge areas”.
More specifically, the following Memoranda of Understanding were signed between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Kingdom of Spain:
- Memorandum of Understanding for increased political cooperation in Science and Technology
- Memorandum of Understanding on the Iberian International Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)
- Memorandum of Understanding on the launch of the Iberian Scientific Mobility Programme
- Memorandum of Understanding on joint participation in international initiatives and programmes for Alzheimer’s and other degenerative illnesses, cancer and regenerative medicine
- Memorandum of Understanding on joint participation in polar research
- Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening electronic research and education networks in Portugal and Spain and their interconnection
- Memorandum of Understanding on GRID Distributed Computing, Supercomputing and Scientific data Repositories
- Memorandum of Understanding on the creation of a Working Party for the reciprocal launch of Research and Development funding programmes
- Memorandum of Understanding for interconnecting and opening evaluators databases from Portugal and Spain
- Memorandum of Understanding for strengthening the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Culture
- Memorandum of Understanding for the promotion of joint participation in the European Union’s Framework Programmes for Research and Development.
Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), by means of its President, was directly involved in preparing all these agreements and played a central role as regards those pertaining to the INL, to strengthening electronic research and education networks in Portugal and Spain and their interconnection, to GRID Distributed Computing, Supercomputing and Scientific data Repositories, as these were prepared at the Meeting of the Portugal-Spain Mixed Committee for Cooperation in e-Science held in Madrid on 12th January 2009.
The INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory was set up by a joint Spain – Portugal initiative agreed in 2005 in Évora during the XXI Portugal - Spain Summit. This is the newest international scientific organisation set up in Europe, the first on the Iberian Peninsula and the first in the nanotechnology field. Currently under construction in Braga, Portugal, the Laboratory shall conduct a scientific policy and recruit its researchers worldwide.
Photographs of the INL construction on 16th January 2009
Laboratory and office wing:
Social facilities:
Auditorium area:
Clean room area:
Photograph of the welding of the Spanish and Portuguese research and higher education networks on the José Saramago Bridge,
between Elvas and Badajoz, via their own fibre-optic cable, concluded on 20th January 2009: