The Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion Manuel Castro Almeida and the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Fernando Alexandre gave powers to the first Board of Directors of the Research and Innovation Agency (AI2) on 4 May in a ceremony that set the start of a new cycle in public policy on science and innovation.

“The AI² comes about to deepen the integration between universities, research centres, companies, and markets, ensuring that public investment in science contributes effectively to economic development, the creation of wealth, and collective prosperity”, Manuel Castro Almeida claimed, standing for a “a deep,, continuous, and efficacious relationship” between scientific knowledge and the real economy, and noting as the main result indicators the increase in the number of emerging companies, patents scientific jobs, investment in innovation, and corporate competitiveness.

 “The Board of Directors will have added autonomy to execute the contract-programme; this execution will be monitored through metrics defined for the purpose and will render accounts annually and at the end of its term. In other words, we shall have an Agency with added autonomy to execute a programme and not to set priorities”, Fernando Alexandre claimed, stressing the importance of providing an institutional framework that will benefit investment in science and innovation with greater predictability and impact, enabling giving back to society the outcomes of this investment.

The AI² is the outcome of the merger between the Science and Technology Foundation and the National Innovation Agency as part of reorganising the national science, technology, and innovation system. Among the priorities indicated we have a reinforcement of technology transfer, support to projects with market potential, promoting science-based emerging companies, incorporating doctoral graduates in companies, and driving corporate innovation. The AI² will have a multiannual budget for a 5-year period.

The ceremony was also attended by the Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and for State Reform, Gonçalo Matias, the Secretary of State for the Economy João Rui Ferreira, the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation Helena Canhão, and the Secretary of State for Higher Education Cláudia Sarrico.