Maria João Carreiro praises "legacy" of the University of the Azores that is "consolidating" in strategic areas for the Region - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, participated today, on behalf of the President of the Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, in the ceremony celebrating the 49th anniversary of the University of the Azores, which took place at the Aula Magna in Ponta Delgada.

On the occasion, the Regional Secretary praised the "legacy" of the Azorean academy built over the last four decades that, similarly to the Autonomy of the Azores, is "consolidated" daily.

"Like Autonomy, the University of the Azores has a legacy that grows stronger daily. This legacy must be valued, pursued and deepened in each strategic area for the Region, as an open institution promoting cooperation with other universities and research, science, technology and knowledge centres in different regions," she said.

As a "strategic partner in the construction of the Region's development," the University of the Azores has been throughout its history and will continue to be "decisive in facing the challenges posed to the Region collectively," stated Maria João Carreiro.

"Today, the University of the Azores is the living example of the ability of those who believed in decentralised public higher education; those who understood the importance of education as a social, cultural and economic driver; and those who promoted culture, science, research and innovation as essential for collective and civilisational progress," she noted.

In this regard, the Regional Secretary reiterated the Region's "solidarity" in the "fair demand" to the National Government for a national university funding model that differentiates support for a university located in an island territory. It can play an "even more important role in higher education, the production of scientific research and the development of national and European science."

In the last four years, regional public support for the additional costs incurred with the University of the Azores' tripolar structure has risen from 350 thousand Euros in 2020 to 950 thousand Euros last year. This represents an increase of more than 171% with annual increases of about 150 thousand Euros.

"Support for the University of the Azores cannot be a matter of goodwill and intentions, but of practical implementation. When we claim the central role of the University of the Azores in the autonomy construction project, we are consistent. This is what we stand for. This is the principle we put into practice in a coordinated manner," she defended.

The Regional Government, through the Vice-Presidency, plans to launch a new programme to attract and maintain researchers this year, with an estimated allocation of 350 thousand Euros. Moreover, it intends to implement a new support model for research centres, amounting to 350 thousand Euros.  

In the first half of this year, the scientific research and technological development projects within the scope of ‘"Azores 2030," aligned with the Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3), and the MAC-Azores 2030 co-financing protocols will begin, with a strong presence from the University of the Azores and the Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation. This represents an investment of more than 6 million Euros by 2030, the largest ever to support projects conducted by the regional research and innovation community. 

Maria João Carreiro also recalled the ongoing implementation of the measure to support the attendance of master's degrees in teacher training, through a contract-programme with the Azorean Academy amounting to 90 thousand Euros, with 80 scholarships already approved for an investment of 403 thousand Euros. She also highlighted Qualifica.Superior. This RRP programme aims to support lifelong learning and has contributed to the diversification of postgraduate programmes available at the University of the Azores and the increase in the number of students.