The Modernisation and Valuing Polytechnic Institutes programme results from the motivation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education to value research and development in polytechnic institutions as a way to enhance its relationship with the business, social and artistic fabric. This Programme, coordinated by ANI, is based on the following guidelines:

1. Encourage the development of R&D activities in Polytechnic Higher Education institutions, necessarily in close conjunction with the local economic, social or artistic fabric and supporting the creation and promotion of applied studies units;
2. Reinforce the offer of short-term training in close conjunction with the economic, social or artistic fabric;
3. Stimulate the increase of the performance and quality of the public expense;
4. Strengthen regional and local development actions;
5. Internationalisation of polytechnic institutes by strengthening the continuous relationship with polytechnical institutions in Europe.

ANI, in collaboration with the CCISP, identifies and promotes measures to support the growing integration of national Polytechnic Institutes and other higher education entities in their respective regional and national innovation ecosystems, in particular through closer collaboration with productive, artistic and social fabric.

ANI is in the process of defining an Action Plan within this joint work, which is also based on the Modernisation and Valuing the Polytechnic Higher Institutes Programme.

At the initial session of the Knowledge and Innovation Roadmaps session, the ANI signed a set of Memoranda of Understanding with international reference entities, with a view to increasing the collaborative networks of innovation and research based on the practice of the Portuguese Polytechnic Higher Institutes.

They include the following objectives:

• To establish a collaborative network between Finland and Portugal on innovation practices through co-creation processes, practice-based research and project-based teaching in higher education
• To develop collaborative programmes for pre-graduate research, integrating undergraduate students into a mobility programme for this purpose
• To develop practice-based collaborative research projects
• To implement collaborative postgraduate training programmes and other advanced courses in the areas of knowledge that are common to the institutions
• To develop training programmes for Polytechnic Higher Education teachers with a view to developing skills related to practice-based research and reinforcing active learning processes
• To develop practice-based, interdisciplinary collaborative research projects
• To establish a cooperative platform to promote and extend the diversification of research based on excellence in practice, with a view to its regional impact
• Implementation of Barcelos Design School

Protocol Entities: