NRP Portugal

PotentialSurvey–2007,initsconclusionstage,toconfirmtheexpectationsofaverysignificantincreaseinprivateinvestment.Itshouldbestressedthatthisprioritygiventotherapidscientificandtechnologicaldevelopment of the country has been accompanied by a strong mobilisation of thenational scientific community, with visible results in the impact of its assertion atinternational level, including the involvement of researchers from Portugueseinstitutions in European and international science and technology networks. ThisstrengthenedinternationalisationofthescientificcommunityincludedtheincreasedcooperationwithSpain,namelythroughthecreationoftheINLIberianInternationalNanotechnologyLaboratory,andtheestablishmentofnewinternationalpartnershipsin Science and Technology and Higher Education, with the New Partnerships for theFutureProgramme.Thenationalscientificproductionhassignificantlyincreasedinthepastfewyears,amountingtoatotalof6,655internationallyreferencedpublicationsin2006(about630permillioninhabitants),whichrepresentsa45%growthinthepastthreeyears;itshouldbehighlightedthattwoofthe5mostquotedscientificarticlesintheEUarecoauthoredbyPortugueseresearchers.These development dynamics currently involve about 11,600 doctorate researchersworking, in 2007, in R&D centres (measured in terms of “full‐time equivalent”),representing a 25% increase in the past two years and double the number ofdoctorateresearchersincomparisonwith2000.Moreover,duringthepasttwoyears,about20%ofthetotalofthenewdoctoratessince1990obtainedorhadtheirPhDsrecognisedinPortugal,andin2007thefigureofabout1,460newPhDsperyearwasreached. It should also be stressed that the percentage of the number of newdoctorate degrees achieved by women recently exceeded 50%, the highestpercentageever.Alsoworthmentioningisthefactthatthenumberofnewdoctoratedegreesinscienceandtechnologyareascurrentlyrepresentsabouthalf(47.3%)ofthetotalofnewdoctorates,whileintheearly1990’sitrepresentedonly1/3ofthetotalofthedoctoratedegreesawardedatthetime(namely31.3%in1991and32.5%in1992).In addition, and reaching the highest point in a persistent evolution since the midnineties,themonthlyfiguresofthetechnologicalbalanceweresystematicallypositivein 2007, showing the boost in the exports of technologically based services fromPortugal and, as such, the increased technological capacity of the Portuguesecompaniesandtheirassertionatinternationallevel.Alsointhiscontext,thenumberofPortuguesepatentsregisteredintheEuropeanPatentOfficeandintheUSPatentOfficeincreasedabout90%and75%respectively,between2005and2007.Naturally, these results are encouraging the national effort in the investment inpeople,knowledgeandideasand,inparticular,thecommitmentassumedbyPortugalfortheneedtopromotethenationalscientificandtechnologicalcapacity,namelyinthe context of the European Research Area, together with the reinforcement andautonomyofthescientificandtechnologicalinstitutions.22