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On Improving the University Research Base: The Technical University of Lisbon Case in Perspective

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Abstract

This article examines the challenges faced by a Portuguese technical university that is striving to develop its research base within a developing science, technology and higher education system. The paper identifies lack of resources, and also organizational factors, as particular challenges. These include faculty inbreeding, career structures and related incentives as hampering factors preventing a faster development of the university research base. These factors are strongly affected by the development of the science, technology and higher education system. It is argued that these challenges can be tackled, but greater institutional autonomy is necessary as well as an increased participation of research and development in university governing bodies. It is also recognized that the different strategies for dealing with the challenges facing universities should take into account the knowledge base of the development of schools.

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Notes

  1. Data regarding the UTL were retrieved by the author during the elaboration of the ‘Knowledge production and diffusion 1995/96–2002/03’ report undertaken in 2004.

  2. For decades, these institutions have concentrated a large share of research funds for higher education in both the UK and the US (Horta et al., 2007, forthcoming). Both countries have high levels of higher education expenditure in R&D as a percentage of GDP when compared with OECD average (OECD, 2004).

  3. It should be emphasized that scientific areas at UTL grew considerably in terms of the number of international publications, in comparison with the total number of national publications in each scientific area in international journals. In particular, the percentage of publications per researcher tied to UTL in exact sciences, agriculture, biology and environmental sciences, engineering and technology, and social sciences evolved from 7, 6, 21 and 0% in 1981, to 27, 28, 36 and 15% in 2002, respectively (UTL, 2005).

  4. The higher the grade, the higher the funding received. There are five grades ranging from excellent to poor. R&D units that obtained the grade of excellent receive a fixed amount of funds associated to this grade. This amount is given according to the number of researchers holding a doctorate that the R&D unit has. Excellent: Attainable levels of international excellence in a majority of sub-areas of activity and attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all others. Very good: Attainable levels of international excellence in some (but not a majority of) sub-areas of activity and attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all others. Good: Attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all sub-areas of activity, or international excellence in some sub-areas of activity and national excellence in a majority of sub-areas. Fair: Attainable levels of national excellence in a majority of the sub-areas of activity and attainable levels of international excellence in virtually none of sub-areas. Poor: Attainable levels of national excellence in a minority of sub-areas of activity (for a detailed analysis see FCT, 2002).

  5. R&D units can complement this funding to support research activities by applying for R&D projects and fellowships (doctoral and post-doctoral) that are attributed by FCT on a competitive basis, after being evaluated by an independent committee.

  6. In 2002, 49% of post-doctoral fellowships and 47% of doctoral fellowships of the total awarded that year by FCT were awarded to UTL researchers and students. This represented an increase from previous years, such as 1998, where UTL researchers were granted 25% of the post-doctoral fellowships and UTL students 31% of the doctoral fellowships of the total awarded that year.

  7. As a reference, 38% of all academic staff in Norway had a doctorate degree in 1985 (see Bleiklie and Hostaker, 2004).

  8. Faculty inbreeding phenomenon is reported as widespread in universities of countries developing their science base such as Spain (Navarro and Rivero, 2001). In most countries with a developed science system Ph.D. students do not expect to stay at their Ph.D. granting university (Kaulisch and Enders, 2005).

  9. Except for the researchers based at the Centre for Studies in Management of the IST-CEGIST, whose host institution is the IST.

  10. The current research and postgraduate programs created between the Portuguese government (as funding source), US researcher universities and Portuguese universities also reflect the need to further internationalize the Portuguese university (see, for example, http://www.mitportugal.org/About.aspx; http://www.cmuportugal.org/about.aspx.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering and Public Policy Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 15213, PA, USA

    Hugo Horta

  2. Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research IN+, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Hugo Horta

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Horta, H. On Improving the University Research Base: The Technical University of Lisbon Case in Perspective. High Educ Policy 21, 123–146 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300177

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