REBORN, BUT NOT FROM ASHES

INESC was born in Lisbon in 1980. The idea was to build something that would shorten the path from university to industry, from science to application. Portugal seriously needed a refreshing (some would say revolutionary) concept in its march towards industrialisation. INESC was born-again in 1985; it was released from its narrow confines when the two major Portuguese Universities (Lisbon and Porto) joined forces to transform it into a national entity.

INESC Porto was born in 1998, when INESC split into several sister institutions, inheriting the dream and vision of the original founders: an organisation that brings together science and technology, knowledge creation and application, university and economic agents. Since then, INESC Porto has become the largest of all the INESCs – it is actually larger than the sum of all of its other siblings.

And in 2011, finally, INESC TEC was born - not from ashes but from the energy and momentum of INESC Porto.

And here it is: INESC Technology and Science, a new brand for an old and proven concept.

INESC TEC is INESC Porto but it is also a federation with other autonomous Research Units. This ensemble constitutes the new Associate Laboratory, a statute recognised by the Ministry of Science for a limited number of organisations that passed a strict international evaluation with merit.

INESC TEC could no longer remain INESC Porto when a new University joined as a partner, the University of Minho. It could also no longer remain Porto when its degree of internationalisation demands the quick recognition of its character and activity. However, it remains INESC Porto in its quality, professionalism and spirit.

INESC TEC is INESC Porto, yet it is more than just INESC Porto: it is the big dream, renewed.