Science, technology and innovation and public policy in Portugal: Trajectories towards 2020

Abstract

Science, technology and innovation are of crucial relevance for socio-economic development. This article presents a perspective of the institutional change in Portugal in this domain, between 2000 and 2014, with the identification of policies, key actors and incentives for stimulating the emergence of innovation. It presents a chronology of policies on science, technology and innovation that changed the landscape of innovation in Portugal. The article presents the context and the policy-orientations for policy-making towards 2020, in particular the impacts of economic crisis in the Portuguese STI system and the guidelines of Europe 2020 for a smart specialisation. The article concludes with considerations in the evolution of the innovation landscape in Portugal and the relevance of these changes to public policy implementation in the period 2020.