Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, June 26, 2026 (Lusa) - The vice-president of the regional government of Portugal's Azores Islands, Artur Lima, said on Friday that approval of the new legal framework for research and innovation institutions represents “a significant step forward” in regional science and technology policy.
The Azores regional coalition government approved, at its last Government Council meeting, the Decree establishing the Legal Framework for the Regional Research and Innovation Community (CoRe) and its support system, known as SAPiÊNCIA.
The new legislation will fully replace the current Azores Science and Technology System, in force since 2012, promoting a far-reaching structural overhaul and preparing the region for the challenges of the future.
“The new framework will include a more integrated and innovation-oriented approach to the sector, bringing together research, intermediary bodies, business innovation and scientific literacy within a single legal framework,” according to Artur Lima.
He noted that with CoRe, the focus “is no longer strictly on isolated organisations and incentives, but is transforming into a genuine community that fosters structured cooperation between academia, businesses, society and the Azores regional government”.
“We want science that addresses current problems through its application and focus on the development of innovative processes, services and products, capable of transforming the region and benefiting the whole community,” he stated.
CoRe promotes a strategic institutional reorganisation, given that the ecosystem is now structured around three main types of organisation: research and development, interface and innovation.
This clarification of roles brings the region into line with European and national categories and clarifies the process of recognition and access to the system, addressing gaps in the previous legislation, he emphasised.
According to the press release, the new legislation also reinforces the sector’s fundamental principles, “expressly enshrining autonomy and freedom of research, integrity, open science, internationalisation, and social and environmental responsibility”.
The new support scheme, which will replace the former PROSCIENTIA, introduces “much clearer rules on access, eligibility and the accumulation of incentives, changing the funding structure to the ‘Type of Operation’ model, which is perfectly aligned with current European guidelines and programmes”.
With this complete overhaul, the Azores “substantially strengthen the legal framework and the coordination capacity of the regional science and innovation ecosystem”.
“We are navigating a context of rapid global change that demands greater adaptability and competitiveness,” stated Artur Lima.
The new legal framework and support system “therefore responds to the current need for structural policies for science and technology in the region, fulfilling one of the strategic objectives: to foster a development model based on knowledge and innovation”, he concluded.
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