Students at the University of Lisbon criticize the end of the FCT

The Academic Association of the University of Lisbon (AAUL) criticized this Friday the extinction of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), announced on Thursday by the Government, showing concern about the continuity and stability of ongoing projects.

"The closure of the FCT—the central body for science and research funding in Portugal—raises serious concerns about the continuity and stability of ongoing scientific projects, the predictability of grants awarded to students and researchers, and the credibility of the national science system. The FCT has been a pillar in consolidating academic careers and fostering cutting-edge research, playing an irreplaceable role in the Portuguese scientific ecosystem," writes the AAUL in a statement.

Education Minister Fernando Alexandre announced on Thursday a reform of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, with the elimination of several entities, including the FCT, which will be integrated into new agencies.

The reform of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) was approved by the Council of Ministers and, in a press conference at the end of the meeting, Fernando Alexandre justified the restructuring by describing his ministry as an “anachronistic structure”, with fragmented organizations, disintegrated information systems and disjointed governance.

For the AAUL, the extinction of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) “raises particularly serious issues for students”, since, says the association: “this entity ensures, among other functions, the management of social action grants, the application process and access to higher education, the validation of study cycles and diplomas, as well as coordination with international institutions”.

"Its elimination, combining the functions of two entities into a single entity, the Institute for Higher Education (IES), undermines students' trust in the higher education system. It remains unclear how the highly specialized technical skills that the DGES brings together will be ensured, and how institutional coordination with universities and polytechnics will be guaranteed," he adds.

Recognizing "the importance of rethinking the organization of public administration, particularly with a view to its modernization and debureaucratization," the academic association "absolutely rejects reforms that sacrifice strategic organizations without public impact studies, without procedural transparency, and, above all, without dialogue with the actors directly affected: the students."

"The reduction of organizations and the centralization of responsibilities in a limited number of 'agencies' requires public scrutiny, otherwise the technical and scientific autonomy that characterized the now-extinct structures will be lost," argues the AAUL, considering that "the future of science, education and higher education cannot be decided behind closed doors."

On Thursday, it was announced that with 18 entities and 27 senior managers in the non-higher education system and higher education, science and innovation services, the MECI will now have only seven entities and 27 senior managers, with the integration of the dissolved entities into new entities.

Also in Higher Education, the new structure foresees the extinction of two entities — the Directorate-General for Higher Education and the Erasmus+ Agency — which will be integrated into the new Institute for Higher Education, which will assume the functions of managing social action, issues related to the internationalization of institutions and the creation of the European higher education area.