The initiative is part of the reform of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation, approved on Thursday by the Council of Ministers.
“We cannot accept that an entity like this, which promotes research, innovation, and scientific and technological development, is abolished under the pretext of efficient reorganization,” stated Nuno Freitas, a member of the JPP Youth, in a party communiqué.
Nuno Freitas also urges the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, to clarify whether the newly created Agency for Research and Innovation will perform the same functions as the FCT.
The Foundation for Science and Technology was established in 1997 and is the main public institution for scientific funding, particularly through scholarships, employment contracts, and direct support to institutions and projects.
On Thursday, the Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, assured that, regarding the abolition of the FCT, science funding will be preserved with four-year financing that ensures stability, predictability, and “the protection of funding for the most basic research.”
The Government expects that with the new Agency for Research and Innovation, “redundancies currently existing between the ANI and the FCT will be eliminated, with obvious operational and administrative gains, for example at the level of platforms, human resources, and financing systems.”
According to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation, this agency will provide “more personalized and effective support to researchers, companies, startups, and entities in the national scientific and technological system” and “achieve more cohesive management of national and European funds.”
“This model is already applied in other European Union countries and has allowed for the strengthening of international presence and coordination with various European programs,” notes the ministry in an explanatory note.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, stated today that if he has doubts “about any point” regarding the abolition of the FCT, he will ask the Government to reconsider the measure and, if the executive insists, might veto it.
