The funding of Portuguese universities should be independent of political cycles, which are increasingly unstable, and their development should involve partnerships with public and private entities, the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation said today.
“In addition to autonomy, universities need stability and predictability in their resources,” said Fernando Alexandre in Funchal at the University of Madeira Day ceremony.
According to the minister, the resources of the various higher education institutions “cannot be linked to legislative contracts”, nor “linked to the political cycle”.
The minister defended the fact that universities also “have to diversify their sources of funding”, by also investing in “partnerships with other public and private entities”.
Fernando Alexandre stressed that this policy is essential, especially for an institution like the University of Madeira.
“In research, partnerships and participation in networks are essential for gaining critical mass and being able to participate in projects with greater impact,” he argued.
He also highlighted the role of universities in national and regional transformation, adding that “in order to carry out their mission, they must have autonomy to define their medium and long-term strategy”.
In Fernando Alexandre’s opinion, Portugal has been doing “essentially short-term management”, which is annual and is conditioned by budgetary policy.
“We get used to thinking in the medium and long term. In other words, we’re not used to thinking about the future,” he said.
The minister also highlighted the decisive role of education in combating inequalities and strengthening national and regional competitiveness.
“One reflection of the success of the development policies and, in particular, the education policies of the Regional Government of Madeira is the high percentage of young Madeirans who go on to higher education,” he said.
Fernando Alexandre stressed that “in the future the University of Madeira will play an increasingly important role in the development of the region and Portugal”.
The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, and the Secretary of State for Science, Ana Paiva, today took part in the opening session of the University of Madeira Day celebrations and met with the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities.
