CoLAB: Evaluation panel meets on February 18th

The next meeting of the Evaluation Panel for Applications for the Award of the Title and Designation of Collaborative Laboratory (CoLAB) is scheduled for February 18 and 19. At this meeting, the applications submitted by January 15, 2019 will be evaluated. The public presentation of the proposals will take place on February 18. A new Application Submission Guide has been published for this evaluation exercise.

The process of creating the CoLABs began in 2017. It is a permanent open Call , with periodic jury meetings to assess the applications submitted. So far, two evaluation exercises have been carried out, in which 21 CoLAB titles were awarded out of 30 applications submitted.

The aim of the Collaborative Laboratories is to bridge the gap between academia and companies, directing qualified employment towards a productive market that will boost the Portuguese economy. The CoLABs will be funded by the regional operational programs, for a total amount of around 50 million euros over the next 3 years. FCT will add 10 million euros to the funding, corresponding to 20%, for expenses that do not result from hiring human resources.

The CoLABs will generate around 750 direct jobs, spread across various regions of the country. It is expected that 3 to 4 times as many indirect jobs will be created, due to the needs of other companies and institutions that will partner with the collaborative laboratories to produce products and services to be marketed nationally and internationally.

Collaborative Laboratories are associations or consortia established between research institutions, private companies and civil society organizations. Consortia are made up of research units, Associate Laboratories, higher education institutions, intermediate and interface institutions, technology centers, companies, business associations and other relevant partners from the productive, social or cultural fabric, such as State Laboratories, local authorities and institutions associated with local organizations, hospital units, museums, archives, or national or international social institutions (participating entities).