Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

Honourable Chairman of the Board of COTEC Portugal,
Honourable Entrepreneurs and Managers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to attend this V COTEC Conference, which this year has as its theme of reflection the problems with the strengthening of entrepreneurial innovation.

I am certain that today’s meeting will provide an excellent contribution to approach this issue and a stimulus for the entrepreneurs and managers amongst us.

The strengthening of entrepreneurial innovation continues to be a focal topic in European terms and a common objective for every country. In effect, in the Lisbon centre for renewed strategy, the query is being placed on how to find out which measures may promote the increase in the efficiency of the innovation process, in order to reach material and palpable results in terms of new products and services, lower operating costs and greater employment in the sectors with higher technological incidence.

This is recognized as a determining issue for enterprises and European economies to take up positions in the current and, especially the future, global competitive context.

In Portugal, and in spite of the progress achieved in the last few years, in some sectors, the performance of entrepreneurial innovation continues to lie far behind the European average.

This situation is of great concern and stands in contrast, anyway, with the progress of public investment in research activities.

Honourable Entrepreneurs and Managers,

The recent performance of our economy and the growing challenges that the future allows us to envisage do not permit another alternative than the deepening of the transition to a new model of economic growth, based on the use of know-how and on innovation. This urgently demands the strengthening of investment in these areas.

It is well known that the cyclical situation of the Portuguese economy, as well as the limitations in demand, tend to condition the levels of investment in innovation. But it is equally known that the best way of smoothing the impact of cyclical fluctuations and to ensure the potential for economic growth requires a strong investment in the resolution of structural weaknesses of the Portuguese enterprises and economy.

The difficulties associated with the size of the enterprises, especially in the case of SMEs, as well as the restrictions in the access to know-how, to new Technologies, to markets, to qualified resources and to the right partners, in addition to the insufficient capacity for financing, have been pointed out as the main reasons for our enterprises not to enter with greater enthusiasm and depth in the innovation processes.

In the last two decades great development has been registered in the majority of the institutions of the national scientific system, with results which I have kept pace through the Routes to Science.

Together with the development and the strengthening of the capabilities and skills of the research centres, a significant increase has been established both in the number of qualified researchers and in the production of scientific know-how directed to the production sectors.

The Portuguese scientific institutions are now answering many of the issues placed to them by enterprises.

We are at any rate viewing a progressive internationalization of national research, as a reflection of the growing integration of our researchers in international scientific networks.

I consider that the national scientific system has in effect been developing in the sense of opening up to the market. It should be noted that this greater convergence of the interests of researchers and their institutions with the requirements of the market and of the enterprises is already bringing real benefits. The result of this approach has been the creation of Portuguese technologies which are nowadays world references of incontrovertible value, and, not less relevant, the establishment of stable and profitable relations with their entrepreneurial partners.

It thus seems paradoxical that, in spite of the positive instances, cooperation between the institutions of the national scientific system and enterprises has only reached generally limited levels, especially taking into account the potential of the offer of know-how available nowadays from the scientific system, and the entrepreneurial requirement to maintain its competitiveness.

I thus invite entrepreneurs and managers to take the initiative to look closer and find out the dynamism and the capabilities of our scientific institutions.

It is more than evident today that innovation is a process that is developed from networks of knowledge and skills, many of them located externally to the enterprises.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet instances of Portuguese enterprises that are already integrated in, or are themselves the initiators of, successful innovation networks, shown, in practice, by the creation of shareholder value.

I have also found out that new technologically based and strong enterprises with a vocation for innovation are already born with international dynamism, and have the ambition to be, without fears or complexes, amongst the best in the world in their markets.

The larger Portuguese enterprises involved in internationalization processes may have here a relevant role, by easing the way for smaller entrepreneurs, such as happens in other European economies. They will surely find an additional positive return in this support for the internationalization of technology capital and know-how capital. .

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have emphasized the importance of distinguishing the good examples and of rewarding merit.

In the last two Conferences I had the opportunity to award the COTEC SME Innovation Prize. A prize which distinguishes ambition and courage. This rewards the capability to see differently, to produce differently and to produce better, to identify opportunities and to face risks to conquer them. That provides value for those that reach results which many asserted were impossible or unreachable in Portugal. .

I am thus pleased to let you know the pride with which the prize winners have spoken to me of this distinction, opportunely promoted by COTEC.

It was with great satisfaction that, this year, I awarded a new prize, dedicated to the best innovative product. I highly congratulate the prize winners.

I avail myself of this opportunity to announce the names of the prize winners of the Entrepreneurial Innovation Prize in the Portuguese Diaspora. Their names, chosen amongst several dozen candidates, are Carlos de Mattos, from the United States of America, and Fernando Ferreira, from Australia, in “ex-aequo”, whom I now salute, and to whom I will deliver the prizes on June 9, next, during the official ceremonies of the National Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities.

Honourable Entrepreneurs and Managers,

We are currently crossing a particularly uncertain period, resulting largely from external economic and financial shocks.

I well know that the difficulties and the factors of uncertainty that surround the current stage of development of our economy may lead to some dismay, but it is important to recognize that remedies exist and that these remedies are within our grasp.

And it is true that many of the issues which are nowadays placed globally bring with them new opportunities in research and innovation.

I believe in your potentialities and in your entrepreneurial organizations. For this reason I have confidence in the future. But I know that this future will only be sustainable if we assume today, with ambition, our joint responsibility in the resolution of the economic and social issues which Portugal is facing.

For this reason I again emphasize the importance of the effort in cooperation between enterprises, the people and the State. This COTEC innovation forum is an urgent query which is placed to your experience and to your specific skills. Portugal more than ever needs new entrepreneurial approaches to resolve the persistent weaknesses which it is fighting. Portugal needs you.

Thank you.