Thematic Agendas
The Thematic Research and Innovation Agendas aim to mobilize experts from R&D institutions and companies in identifying challenges and opportunities at the national scientific and technological system level, particularly from a medium- and long-term perspective. It is expected that the agendas will also contribute to the development of research and innovation by helping to respond to problems or needs in different sectors of society.
The inclusive and dynamic process of developing agendas, involving experts from academia, research centers, companies, public entities, and citizens, within a framework of dialogue between different national actors, allows for the identification of areas that are emerging and promising for Portuguese research and innovation, from a medium- and long-term perspective, until 2030.
The main objectives of developing thematic agendas are to promote collective reflection on the knowledge base that supports the country's scientific, technological, and socioeconomic development in the areas in question.
The main objectives of the thematic agendas are:
- Promoting dialogue between scientific and business communities, combining the capabilities and needs of researchers, citizens, businesses, public administration, and civil society organizations;
- The establishment of a medium- and long-term vision for the Portuguese research and innovation system, as well as the most promising R&I lines for the realization of this vision in each of the thematic areas;
- Contributing to the development of information sources that can inspire and support decision-making processes, particularly with regard to R&I internationalization strategies and the research agendas of institutions and their researchers.
The process of developing thematic R&I agendas favors an inclusive, bottom-up approach based on the involvement of scientific, technological, and business communities, as well as other entities. This process is inspired by international practices for creating strategic and mobilizing research and innovation agendas.
Each Agenda was developed by groups of experts with representatives from the scientific and business communities. The expert groups were formed based on invitations sent to heads of R&D units and companies to nominate specialists, as well as direct invitations from the FCT to experts seeking to cover the different aspects of the topic.
Although the FCT provides the technical and logistical support necessary for the work to be carried out, including the proposed content structure, the expert groups are primarily responsible for producing the content for each agenda. The internal thematic structure of each agenda is defined by the expert groups, which also choose the experts who will take on the roles of rapporteur and coordinator.
This innovative and dynamic process aims to stimulate the exchange of ideas between the scientific and business communities in an ongoing dialogue with a view to building a shared agenda.
A public consultation was also held with the community on the main issues to be addressed, and a consultation was also held with public administration bodies through a specific questionnaire.
