1. The University as an Innovative
Platform for the Region
Carlos Pascoal Neto, Vice-Rector
November 21, 2013

2. summary
•The beginning and the challenge
• Brief overview of UA, today
• UA as an innovative platform for the Region
• Major UA interface units and stakeholders involved
• Some projets and results
• ICT as successful example of university-business
cooperation in the Region

3. The Beginning and the Challenge

4. the beginning and the challenge
UA created in 1973, initially within the facilities of a company
(Portugal Telecom)
The challenge:
• To become an innovative university, open to society, tackling the major
issues of the Region
• Lack of scientific knowledge and technology on traditional industries
(ceramics, forestry, agro-food …)
• Emerging technologies in the Region (ICT) – Aveiro, the cradle of
telecommunications in Portugal
• Environmental and marine sciences (geographical location, lagoon, sea)

5. the beginning and the challenge
• Strong interaction with industry and the local authorities / government
• the early implementation of the triple helix, innovative approach in
Portugal
• DNA of the University of Aveiro
• Pioneering education programme, oriented to economy and societal
needs in the Region
• ICT, environmental and marine sciences, ceramics and materials …
supported by strong programmes in basic sciences
• Teachers training
• Innovative education programmes (PBL, Technological
specialization degrees, offered in a delocalized way in the Region, by
our Polytechnic Schools)

6. The University of Aveiro, Today

7. 2013 rankings
Best portuguese young university - position 66 in the Times Higher Education
ranking for universities with less than 50 years
Best portuguese university - position 315 in the ranking of the Leiden University
Positions in NTU world ranking:
Fields: Engineeering (173), Agriculture (294)
Areas: Materials (114, 20th in Europe), Mechanical Engineering (131), Maths
(144), Chemical Engineering (161), Chemistry (194), Environment/Ecology
(233), Agricultural Sciences (247), Civil Engineering (269),

8. a distinctive organisation
 young (1973), innovative – education, research, cooperation, tech
transfer
 Comprehensive university, but with focus on science and
technology
 binary system, no faculties – 15 000 students, 1000 teaching staff, 100
researchers, 260 postdocs, 1300 PhD students
• University (16 Departments)
• Polytechnic schools (since 1997, 4 schools)
 Public foundation with private law
 Yearly budget ~ 100 M€

9. a comprehensive university with focus on science and technology
departments and schools
engineering
› Electronics and Telecommunications
› Environment and Planning
› Ceramics and Glass Engineering
› Mechanical Engineering
› Civil Engineering
education
› Sciences of Education
science
› Chemistry
› Biology
› Physics
› Mathematics
› Earth Sciences
› Health Sciences
others
polytechnic schools
 Health School
 Águeda School of Technology and Management
 Aveiro Institute of Accounting and Administration
 School of Design, Management and Production Technologies
› Languages and Cultures
› Media and Arts
› Social and Political Sciences
› Economics, Management
and Industrial Engineering

10. excelling in research
18 Research units (4 Associate Laboratories)
• evaluation by international boards
• 83% scored as excelent or very good
top 10 subject areas for papers published in 2012
MATERIALS SCIENCE MULTIDISCIPLINARY
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMISTRY PHYSICAL
CHEMISTRY MULTIDISCIPLINARY
PHYSICS APPLIED
MATHEMATICS APPLIED
PHYSICS CONDENSED MATTER
BIOCHEMISTRY MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
NANOSCIENCE NANOTECHNOLOGY
MARINE FRESHWATER BIOLOGY

11. matrix structure
dao
cesam
civil
deti
mec
cv
fis
qui
mat
geo
bio
cs
dlc
de deca degei
cspt estga
ciceco
it
i3n
nokia-siemens
ieeta geobiotec tema cbc
pt-inovação
cidtff
clc
govcopp
qopna cidma
cipes
Departments
essua
isca
esan
id+
cetac.media
unimem
inet-md
Research Centres

12. excelling in research
publications – benchmarking Portugal

13. The University as an Innovative
Platform for the Region
The Aveiro Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecossystem
University – Business – Public Administration (municipalities)

14. cooperation with municipalities and the Region
S. J. da Madeira
Ovar
Ol. de AZEMÉIS
Estarreja
A. a Velha
AVEIRO
Vagos
AGUEDA
Cantanhede
• Regional development programmes with local authorities
(2014-2020 strategic plan, smart specialization strategy, thinking the Region together)
• Polytechnic schools and technological specialisation degrees (1,5 years, on job training)
• Public understanding of science (Science Factory ...), promotion of culture
• Involvement in most regional and national business clusters
• Regional incubators network, Science Park

15. technology transfer office (UATEC)

16. protecting intelectual property

17. promoting entrepreneurship
•
Entrepreneurship courses in BSc, MSc and doctoral degrees
•
“Non curricular”, “hand on” entrepreneurship programmes
• Tech Based Entrepreneurship programme (CEBT) – entrepreneurs (students,
researchers, professors) explore processes/technologies belonging to UA
intelectual property portfolio (partners: UC, UBI, CEC)
• Entrepreneurship Laboratory (LabE) – entrepreneurs explore their own ideas /
projects
• Poliempreende – entrepreneurship competition for polytechnic schools
• Aveiro Empreendedor (with Aveiro City and the Region)
• Erasmus for young entrepreneurs

18. university incubator (IEUA)
•
•
An incubator (IEUA) with a unique “incubation programme” supporting the
entrepreneurial projects and the growing and consolidation of start-up
companies
Companies created by academia members, within the UA entrepreneurial
programme

19. university incubator (IEUA)
incubating companies
Total number of incubated
companies
*Forecasts for Dez 31 2014
Number of jobs
Turnover of the companies

20. promoting entrepreneurship in the region
 a “single distributed incubator” in several municipalities of the region of Aveiro
 promoting and developing local entrepreneurial policies
 partnership with the 11 Aveiro Region municipalities association
(CIRA) and Aveiro Industrial Association (AIDA)

21. science and innovation park (creative science park)
• A innovation hub, on the neighborhood
of multidisciplinary scientific knowledge
and technology source, boosting
entrepreneurship dynamics and regional
wealth creation, in close cooperation with
the regional incubator and the municipal
industrial development areas
• A privileged location, adjacent to the
University of Aveiro (in green) and easy
access to major highways - A17 and A25.
• A Region project but internationally
oriented

22. science and innovation park (creative science park)
R&D and training
competences
Energy
Agro-industry
ICT and Electronics
Sea
Materials
Clusters
International Networks
•
19 stakeholders: UA, 2
municipalities and CIRA
(association of municipalities of
Aveiro Region)
5 institutional partners, 2 banks, 8
companies
5 thematic areas – expertise at
UA, Smart Specialization
Strategies for Aveiro region
Regional and National
Networks
•

23. science and innovation park (creative science park)
• business incubation
• hosting of established knowledge intensive companies companies
• shared laboratories and infrastructures
• support services to innovation (internationalization, soft landing ...)
• design factory
• Technology platforms (R&D, consultancy, tarining) – Sea Economy,
agro-food industry, molding and plastic industries ...

24. university-business liaison office (GUE)
• promotes the skills and services (portfolio) of Aveiro University, outside
• the companies entrance door for all resources at UA, and the hub
connecting market needs, UA interface and research units and researchers
A single portefolio for Skills and
Services, useful to companies
– “UA Empresas”
printed version and online database
http://portefolio.ua.pt/)
(soon an English version)

25. ICT: a successful example of university-business cooperation
Going back to the UA cradle : ICT
Cooperation between UA/IT and Portugal Telecom Inovação (PTi):
• 4.8 M€ of Technology Transfer Contracts with UA/IT, leading to products and
services to the market
•140 M€ of external funding in R&DI joint projects
• >100 peer reviewed scientific publications
• 4 joint patents
• more than 200 PTi permanent staff (~1/2 of total staff) are UA alumni

26. ICT: a successful example of university-business cooperation
Other initiatives and projects
• “Aveiro Digital” project: e-governance, quality of life of citizens …
• Creation of about 40 ICT based start-ups, mostly located in the Region
• Creation of a ICT focused business association (INOVARIA), where part of
CEOs/staff are UA Graduates: >60 associates, 365 M€ annual turnover
• Aveiro: headquarter on the national ICT industrial cluster TICE.PT
• UA Campus houses major R&D ICT companies
•
•
•
PT Inovação (IT)
Nokia Solutions (150 engineers, IT)
Sapo (20 grant holders, 150 students)

27. The University of Aveiro as a centre for
education and innovation, a trigger
and driving force for regional
development and wealth creation.