More Science, Better Society

(not available in English)

The More Science, Better Society dialogues are oriented to stimulate the discussion of scientific and technological activity underway in Portugal by researchers under the Scientific Employment Stimulus Program, as part of a strategy for the next decade and with special impact on the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030, based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It includes sessions that aim to stimulate debate on the participation of Portugal and Portuguese institutions in the future 9th European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, 2021-2027, "Horizon Europe".

The convergence towards the Europe of knowledge during the next decade should mobilize and guide us. And if it is true that the most recent statistical data show a considerable increase in public and private investment in Portugal in recent years, as well as in the number of researchers, our joint effort is to continue to combine the capacity and the interests of the scientific community with the needs of citizens, companies, and civil organizations. We benefit from the experience of the launching of public participation initiatives and laboratories by Ciência Viva and the preparation by FCT and ANI of mobilizing agendas for research and innovation, but we must know how to increase the level of demand and our growing scientific maturity.

The More Science, Better Society dialogues thus represent an ongoing effort by researchers and academics to mobilize open dialogue between the scientific and academic communities and Portuguese society through a process, continuous and systematic, of aligning strategies and ensuring mechanisms and ways to stimulate the production and dissemination of knowledge, in close relation to major societal problems and the development of Portugal in the global context.

The More Science, Better Society dialogues include sessions where new researchers present their current scientific activity in terms of their experiences and challenges, and where institutional leaders present their scientific employment plans.

The sessions, starting in Lisbon and Porto, will be complemented by a series of dialogues in Ciência Viva Centers, to be held from November throughout the country and open to the public, but specifically oriented to younger people and schools.

The presentations to be included in the More Science, Better Society dialogues reference researchers and heads of institutions supported under the Scientific Employment Stimulus Program in 2018, including:

• 500 doctoral researcher employment contracts in all scientific areas and in the four contract categories: i) 276 Junior Researcher contracts; ii) 154 Assistant Researcher contracts; iii) 66 Principal Researcher contracts; and iv) 4 Coordinating Researcher contracts;
• 400 doctoral researcher employment contracts in all scientific areas under 67 scientific employment plans by institutions and/or consortia of institutions;
• More than 3600 doctoral researcher employment contracts in all scientific areas in the scope of new R&D projects and the application of the new legal regime to stimulate scientific employment;

The permanent monitoring of the program to stimulate scientific employment has been carried out through the Scientific Employment Observatory, with systematic updates posted on the internet.

session 1: Lisbon, October 31, 2018, 2pm-6pm; Thalia Theater

session 2: Porto, November 13, 2018, 2pm-6pm;

See the Program of Sessions

Watch the videos of both sessions of the event here.