Shaping the future of education research
Researchers, schools and local partners join forces to design the strategy of Portugal’s new research and innovation agency.
On 18 September, the University of Aveiro hosted Pensar e construir o futuro da Investigação em Educação em Portugal (“Thinking and building the future of education research in Portugal”), a bottom-up initiative to help shape the strategy of the Agency for Research and Innovation (AI²). Native Scientists was among the 24 participant entities who identified research priorities, discussed how funding should be distributed and reflected on the future of education in Portugal.
Supported by the Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies (PLANAPP), the Research Centre on Didactics and Technology in the Education of Trainers (CIDTFF) gathered input from nine Portuguese research institutions, as well as various educational, municipal, and corporate institutions. The initiative consisted of a one-day brainstorm session that helped outline the structure and content of the final report.
With their eyes set on 2040, participants envisaged a Portugal that is inclusive, open to diversity, and based on an informed and participatory form of democracy. As education is the main driver of human and social development, they call for policies, institutions and communities that promote equity, inclusion and participation. And for scientific, technological and economic progress to focus on well-being and sustainability.
In light of this vision, the report also outlines recommendations for AI² on how the organization’s budget should be allocated and which areas of strategy should get preference. Education and lifelong learning stand out as a top priority, with a proposal made for long-term investment into education research and sustainable collaboration with schools and local communities.
These recommendations echo Native Scientists’ work in schools, where interactions between children and scientists show every day how learning can open doors.
Read the full report, “Pensar e construir o futuro da Investigação em Educação em Portugal: Contribuição para a definição da estratégia da AI² resultante de uma iniciativa bottom-up”, here.
About Native Scientists
Founded in 2013, Native Scientists is an award-winning, pan-European non-profit organisation connecting children and scientists in underserved communities. It exists to broaden children's horizons through meaningful science education, promoting scientific literacy and reducing inequalities.
About AI²
The Agency for Research and Innovation (AI²) is a new Portuguese public entity that brings together the responsibilities previously held by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the National Innovation Agency (ANI). The agency supports fundamental research while strengthening the links between research and technological development and businesses, public administration and the social sector.
About CIDTFF
The Research Centre on Didactics and Technology in the Education of Trainers (CIDTFF) was founded in 1994 and is based at the University of Aveiro, within its Department of Education and Psychology. The centre promotes research and training in education, as well as science communication activities for the general public and, above all, for children in the early years of school.
About PLANAPP
The Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies (PLANAPP) is a central service of the Portuguese State with administrative autonomy. Its mission is to support the development of public policies through foresight, planning, monitoring, results evaluation and impact analysis. It was originally created in 2021, replacing the Technical Unit for Legislative Impact Assessment.
