THE CREATIVE COVENANT

A quarter of a century, a  silver wedding anniversary, two decades and a half of contracts of innovation and development, 25 years of mutually beneficial relationship - several ways to address the same reality: the strategic alignment between EFACEC and INESC TEC.

In the media speech of commonplaces, we are still confronted the statement that it is necessary to promote the connection between the academic and business worlds. As if there were no good examples of this complicity, after all: no company would have had 25 years of contracts with Portuguese Science if it had not taken benefit out of it.

This commemoration, promoted by EFACEC at the headquarters of ANJE (National Association of Young Entrepreneurs), deserves media highlight. It places under positive light the Portuguese science and speaks highly of the business clairvoyance - and of its confidence in science and technology to sustain international competitiveness.

This is not unique, if it involves INESC TEC. Last year, APDL (Douro Ports Administration, Leixões and Viana do Castelo, S.A.) decided to celebrate 20 years of the same type of relationship. And this year of 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of continuous contractual collaboration between the EDP group and INESC TEC.

Finally, similarly to EDP who had the boldness of the pioneers, EFACEC also announces an interest (and signs a Memorandum of Understanding) on a multi-year contract-program to ensure stability to research that will decant, in higher density and degree, results for the industrial activity.

These covenants are case studies. They deserve research, assesment of the reasons for such stability. They demand that good practices be identified and applied in other contexts.

They demand that the country may know of them and cite, mention, refer to, when someone touches the subject of university-industry cooperation and exhibits disdain, disbelief, skepticism, negative thinking.

Portugal is sometimes fantastic, whether you admit it or not.