European commissioner Elisa Ferreira wants to return to the UAlg Tec Campus within two years to find out what the results of this business accelerator, which opened this Tuesday, has already borne. Paulo Águas, dean of the Algarve university, too.
What will happen in the future, no one can predict. But the present is auspicious: this structure for hosting companies in the technological and innovation sector starts with 16 companies, which together have 300 employees. In other words, it starts “at full throttle”.
«Most of these companies have international business, all the workers are qualified and part of them had the support of European funds», framed Ana Abrunhosa, Minister of Territorial Cohesion, who was present at the inauguration of the technological park of the University of Algarve.
This was one of the guests of honor at the ceremony. The other, as can be seen, was Elisa Ferreira.
«This is a photograph, but I want to see the whole movie. In other words: in two years time, we will see how many companies, starting from this embryo, left here, created jobs, are established in the market and registered patents», wished the Portuguese European Commissioner.
“That is our objective, to have a productive fabric capable of paying good salaries and providing satisfaction and quality of life to our young people and our citizens”, he added.
The host Paulo Águas also looks to the future.
“The interesting thing, as the Commissioner said, is to come back in two years and see what happened. I believe that yes, there will be a before and after the creation of the UAlg Tec Campus, but we have to give time to make this assessment», said the rector of the University of Algarve.
"I think the life of campus will change, particularly in Penha. We already have the example of the Brigthstar program, with Deloitte and, surely, we will have more relations with the companies that are here. It is an area in which the university wants to position itself», he believes.
«I think that this is a project that has all the conditions to give the answer that we need at this moment. We need to use the funds we are receiving intelligently», defended Elisa Ferreira.
What does this mean? «It means not using them to go back to doing what we were doing before, but to respond to new challenges, which will force us to work in a completely different way, to make the most of our digital resources, of the network».
For the European Commissioner, this is "an example of how this relationship between universities and companies, giving rise to new ways of doing what we did before or to new products, new market proposals and new services, is, in itself, something essential for our collective future».
Minister Ana Abrunhosa also spoke about the good use of European funds.
«This is a project where we have an alliance between academia and knowledge, which these companies then transform into innovation, into added value, into new solutions to old problems, but also to new ones», he added.
This leads the minister to consider that «this is one of the best ways to apply European funds, since this is a project in which we have a technological campus where academia and the community co-create value, knowledge and innovation. And that will make this territory much more developed».
And this work in partnership is not optional: it is part of the contract.
The companies, when settling on Tec Campus, assume a commitment, which «goes through receiving students who do their PhD with these companies, through being partners with the university in the application for projects and by requesting work from UAlg in the area of research and development".
“It is an obligation, contained in the contract. Afterwards, it will be evaluated and companies that comply differently, this has positive consequences», explained Paulo Águas.
If there is a default, companies, at the limit, may have to leave the UAlg Tec Campus. «But I believe that will not happen, because companies also benefit from the relationship they have with UAlg».
The proof of this is that the structure inaugurated yesterday is not only fully occupied, but there are more people interested in having more space or in securing a place in the Algarve technological ecosystem, the Algarve Tech Hub.
In this way, the Chamber of Faro, which was also associated with the creation of this 4 thousand square meter (m2) Tec Campus, is already «working to create another building next door, in the sports complex, with another 12 thousand m2», to respond to requests, announced Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro
This seems to be a thoughtful idea, since, as Ana Abrunhosa stressed, «this is a project that has no end, in terms of the challenges facing the university and the benefits for the community», it is not only the Algarve, but « from across the country."
At least that's what Elisa Ferreira and Paulo Águas hope: that, within two years, reality will prove that this was a winning bet.
Photos: Cátia Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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