Innovation and Innovation Policy in Portugal 

Overview of Innovation Policy

Looking at Portugal’s innovation performance, as shown by the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), two main findings emerge: (1) a weak overall performance, with most indicators below the EU average, especially with regard to education and skilled human resources, business R&D involvement and intellectual property, and (2) some recovery, but at too slow a pace to enable a fast catching-up. To overcome the main challenges, there is a need for a committed and systemic innovation policy. This requires namely the fostering of linkages and collaboration among the main players of the National Innovation System, the strengthening of human resources skills, the promotion of companies’ in-house capabilities and a significant increase in public administration productivity.

Innovation governance is based on two key ministries – the Ministry for the Economy and Innovation, and the Ministry for Science and Higher Education. These ministries are responsible for the main operational programmes dealing with innovation. They share the responsibility for the Innovation Agency (AdI), which became the main body in charge of implementing company orientated innovation policies. The Innovation and Knowledge Unit (UMIC) is the body responsible for supporting the definition, implementation and evaluation of policy initiatives in the fields of information society and e-government general programmes for supporting company investment and modernization are managed by the Institute for Small and Medium-Sized Firms and Investment (IAPMEI).

The main development in innovation policy was the launching of the Technological Plan. This has been a key electoral ‘flag’ for the Socialist Party. The Plan is envisaged as an action plan aimed at implementing a coherent set of policies to stimulate the creation, diffusion, absorption and use of knowledge as a lever for transforming into a dynamic economy, able to respond the challenges raised by global competition. The Plan encompasses three axes: (1) knowledge, to upgrade the skills of the Portuguese citizens to profit from the opportunities opened by the knowledge society; (2) technology, with the aim of overcoming scientific and technological backwardness; and (3) innovation, by providing a new impetus to innovation, and facilitating the adaptation of the economic fabric to globalization requirements. To follow up the implementation of the Technological Plan, an Inter-Ministerial Commission (with representatives from the main Ministries involved) and an Advisory Council (including businessmen, academics and policy makers) were created.

Who Is Who

Senior Official(s) for Portugal
Teresa De Lemos
Correspondents for Portugal
Vitor Corado Simoes




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Innovation Performance

 Performance in Innovation Scoreboard 2008

Find Out More

 List of relevant websites