Offside
Limelight

Andreia Passos, Ricardo Bessa and Carlos Pinho

Free Nonsense

"(...) and not everyone is lucky enough to start their professional career at INESC Porto, a place with a wonderful work environment and nice people who worry about making sure that everyone’s integration is easy and smooth", Pedro Castanheira

Gallery of the Uncommon

"And now we have discovered something amazing: the famous University of Aveiro used a text included in a 2004 edition of BIP on the project Pêndulo, developed by USIC, as model text in Portuguese language test for University applicants over 23 years of age!"

Have your say

"I am encouraged by the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a Brazilian company, temporarily called INESC P&D Brasil, which will follow the same philosophy of combining scientific and technological values (...)", Alexandre Rocco

Jobs 4 the Boys & Girls

In this section, the reader may find reference to public announcements made by INESC Porto offering grants, contracts and other opportunities of the same kind.

Biptoon

More scenes of how life goes merrily on...

 
 

Have your say

Have your say

Have Your say

By Alexandre Rocco*

I consider myself as one of the many positivistic Brazilians and, as such, I decisively believe in Brazil’s social growth, taking advances in technological research applied to the needs of the manufacturing sector as an utmost important vector. Therefore, in order to achieve gains in productivity, and consequently gains in the markets, the Brazilian industry must add value to its scientific and technological products.

In this aspect, the relationship between Brazilian research centres and companies has proved to be difficult by many reasons, causing these advances to be harder. On the other hand, several Brazilian government bodies have been promoting the development of research projects to be carried out by Brazilian institutions according to the needs of the companies, providing funds for that purpose.

This way, it is possible to conclude that in Brazil it is necessary to institutionalise an entrepreneurial model where the research takes the needs for the development of products and services into consideration through networking with the excellence of several Brazilian research centres. Certainly, this position will make it possible to combine objective results, turning knowledge into business opportunities and, therefore, achieving positive social results that will make sure that people can access affordable and better manufacturing goods, and also guaranteeing social integration and professional training to increase the international competitiveness of the Brazilian industry.

This introduction was necessary for me to explain what I see in INESC Porto in comparison with the Brazilian reality. This is an institution that characterises itself in a well-defined way regarding the transformation of scientific and technological knowledge to improve productivity in the industry and in entrepreneurship. This means that INESC Porto presents a philosophy that is entirely suitable for the current needs of the Brazilian model, as far as the close relationship between the industry and research centres is concerned. As such, I am encouraged by the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a Brazilian organization, temporarily called INESC P&D Brasil, which will follow the same philosophy of combining scientific and technological values, taking proactive actions in order to establish an entrepreneurial model, focused on results, for the research work carried out in Brazil.

I would also like to highlight that, for my surprise, I realized that other than being technically and institutionally efficient, throughout the years, INESC Porto has been contributing decisively to the quality training of researchers from several Brazilian institutions. INESC Porto provides them not only with a vision of the research structures on processes and international control systems, but also on the expected technical and financial means.

I would like to take this opportunity to comment on how I was welcomed by the people at INESC Porto, which certainly strengthened the identification between the Portuguese and Brazilian population, not only in terms of language, but also in the way we see the world, interpersonal relationships and, last but not least, our history.

In conclusion, I would like to highlight the importance of this opportunity, perhaps a singular moment of exchange of a scientific, self-sustainable development model acknowledged in Portugal by INESC Porto’s excellence, a model that will bring new opportunities to Brazil, bringing its research centres and industry closer, through the activities of INESC P&D Brasil.

* Adviser to the Board for Latin America