‘What do you think about Europe? What is Europe to you? What does it mean to be European in the current context?’ – Manuel Heitor, professor and researcher at Instituto Superior Técnico and former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, launched this reflection on 18 December, at the start of yet another lecture within the Engineering, Decision and Public Policies curricular unit.
After sharing their perspectives, several students in the audience commented on ‘Europe lagging behind the United States and China’. Manuel Heitor admitted that the old continent ‘is at a crossroads today’, but ‘it is the result of a peace project that we should be proud of’.
During the lecture, the founding director of the Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research (IN+) discussed the importance of investing in research and development, and the positive impact this has on companies, enabling them to hire more workers and offer better salaries in the future. ‘Those who invest more in science and innovation have better results,’ he argued (this statement follows the recent signing of an international report highlighting the good practices carried out by Técnico in hiring and retaining scientific talent).
Also referring to the link between professional and scientific careers, Manuel Heitor wanted to know if any of those present would be involved in creating a start-up, something that’s happen quite often among the Técnico student community. ‘One of the best ways to get a job when you’re studying engineering is to create it yourself,’ said the professor.
‘Only science can address’ many of the challenges associated with population growth, a phenomenon that will result in ‘a society radically different from the one in which your children’s children will live’, stated Manuel Heitor. In his lecture, he referred to various European reports on economic growth and the development of research and innovation. The ‘main objective was to provide insights’ for those who wish to study or discuss these topics in the future, particularly concerning scientific and technological fields.
The Engineering, Decision and Public Policy curricular unit is part of the ‘Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences’, and aims to develop students’ critical thinking about how engineering and decision-support systems—including risk assessment, data analysis, decision analysis, statistical analysis, optimisation, participatory modelling, communication, and scenario planning—can improve political analysis and decision-making in a real context.
The previous lectures held in this context at Técnico involved the participation of Miguel Pinto Luz, minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Magalhães, researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences, Inês Drumond, vice-president of the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM), Ana Fontoura Gouveia, former secretary of State for Energy and Climate, Adalberto Campos Fernandes, former minister of Health and António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency, and Alexandra Leitão, former Minister for Modernisation of the State and Public Administration.
