Science Meeting 2021 with 860 in-person and 9500 online participants

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Science 2021 - Meeting with Science and Technology in Portugal, which took place from June 28 to 30 at the Lisbon Congress Center (CCL) under the theme "The Science that Makes Tomorrow and Transforms the Economy", had more than 800 participants on site and more than 9,000 who followed the sessions via online live streaming.

Every year, the Encontro Ciência brings together the national scientific community around a scientific programme that covers all areas of science, within a multidisciplinary framework that includes contributions from research and development (R&D) units funded by the FCT, as well as renowned actors from the international science scene, invited by the organization. This year's program included 52 sessions, including plenary and thematic sessions, and around 300 papers that stimulated sharing and debate on current issues in science and technology. In addition to the sessions, 468 scientific posters were submitted by doctoral students funded by FCT and 18 video demonstrations by national R&D institutions.

On the first day of the Meeting, 18 personalities from the scientific scene were awarded the Medal of Scientific Merit, which recognizes their work and contribution to the evolution of science and scientific knowledge in the country. The day was also marked by approaches to topics as diverse as digital skills in education; the future of employment; artificial intelligence; data science; virtual reality; industry, innovation and economic growth; pedagogical innovation; or MOOCs in the Promotion of Science.

On the second day of the meeting, the highlight was the participation of French astronaut Jean-Jacques Favier in the afternoon plenary session on "Science and the new challenges of space-climate interaction: from Earth observation to space climate". Other topics covered during the second day were: the Horizon Europe program; science and the economy: recovery and resilience 2021-2027; research and development in creative industries; climate change, Earth and space observation; and cooperation programs between FCT and other entities.

The final day of the meeting focused on the theme "Science heals: the challenges and opportunities of science-health interaction" in the afternoon plenary session, with the development, distribution and worldwide application of the Covid-19 vaccine dominating the discussion, which included a presentation by Kathrin Jansen, vice-president of Pfizer. Genetics, neurosciences, biotechnology and oncology; health sciences; nutrition and public health; telemedicine, computational biology and medical applications; sustainable production and consumption were other topics covered on this third day.

In an annual event that is defined as the high point of interaction between researchers, the business sector and the general public, this year Ciência had France as its guest country, which actively participated in the program through its scientific community. The French Minister for Science and Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal, spoke at the opening session, and the French Ambassador to Portugal, Florence Mangin, at the closing session.

The meeting was also attended by a number of national policymakers, including ministers and secretaries of state for health, the economy and digital transition, territorial cohesion, the environment and climate action, agriculture, valuing the interior and labor, social security and solidarity. Prime Minister António Costa issued a video message, presented at the opening session, in which he stressed that the theme of the meeting "reflects the spirit of our Recovery and Resilience Program", as this program invests "close to 40% of the available funds in science, knowledge and innovation".

At the closing session, a video message was broadcast by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in which he stressed that "creativity and future vision are an integral part of science, in identifying solutions for the well-being of humanity" and, regarding France as a guest country, he said that "events like science 2021 are still crucial in scientific diplomacy, in the interaction between countries and entities, to solve common problems".

The Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, gave a summary of the meeting at the closing session, in which he stressed that "the debate of the times and the debate of transforming the economy or the science that makes tomorrow, is certainly to respond to societal pressures for critical technologies, realizing that the knowledge base of these technologies needs to be solid, and depends on both a set of infrastructures and scientific institutions in all areas of knowledge".

The Covid-19 pandemic was not overlooked at this meeting, and Helena Pereira, President of FCT, on the relationship and impact of science in the mechanisms to combat Covid-19 and the participation of Portuguese science in this process, stressed that "everything we have been building in recent decades shows the excellence of the science we have and how we can be international players in the development of knowledge."

The commissioners for Ciência 2021 were David Braga Malta, founder of LiMM, Cell2B and BoostPharma; Marta Oliveira, a specialist in launcher safety at the European Spaceport with Vitrociset; and Paula M. Alves, CEO of iBET and Professor at NOVA University Lisbon (ITQB and FCT-NOVA). The Science Meeting is an initiative organized by the Foundation for Science and Technology, with the collaboration of the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture - Ciência Viva, and the institutional support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES) and the Committee on Education, Science, Youth and Sport of the Portuguese Parliament.

For those who didn't have the chance to watch the event live or want to review the sessions, you can view the video recordings that are available on the Encontro Ciência 2021 website.