Time for change

By Pedro Guedes de Oliveira*

The university renewal process demanded by RJIES (Legal System for Higher Education Institutions) cannot remain unnoticed even by those of us “Inesquians” who are not university students (gladly, there are many of us and I believe that the variety of people coming to INESC Porto is a great advantage to us).

I’m not going to discuss the diploma’s advantages or imperfections. In fact, I’m much more interested in discussing the changing opportunities that this diploma brings about and how the university and we, as an Associated Laboratory, are prepared to react to it.

I must confess that I am quite apprehensive about it. The Portuguese university is going through a difficult period and the conservative competitiveness to which the university was used to is now dead. Today it is essential to compete at an international level (or at least at a European level) or it will otherwise turn into a pre-graduation university. As such, the university will have little influence and will play an irrelevant role internationally, where the stakes are really high.

Jumping to this higher level of demand requires boldness, detachment and courage and most of us will find it really hard.

But why not try it? There is no reason for us to look at ourselves as being inferior to others. It’s just a matter of organisation, vision, leadership, ambition and, evidently, plenty of work. With all these changes, it is not possible to remain oblivious.

This is largely what we have been witnessing. In spite of that, we have been progressing and we are able to offer students a decent training. In fact, the dedication, availability, support to the students, working conditions, and others, have significantly improved.

However, the jump is what’s missing. We must attract the best professors, researchers and students. This is not easy because the same strategy is being used by many institutions.

So, what can we do to achieve that? In my opinion, we should make some choices, create critical masses, say “yes” or “no” here and there. We should not be obsessed with the fact that everyone is following that same path, regardless of their abilities or merit.

In this scenario, the role played by R&D Institutions and Associated Laboratories in particular, is incredibly important. It’s not that they are necessarily better than the university, but the fact is that the organisational model that they have developed is much more advanced, thus enabling accountability conditions. This is something that the university is not used to.

Yet, this is not enough. We also have to change. Some areas of intervention are too horizontal. This is why they should be readjusted in order to originate new alliances that will improve our abilities and enable us to reach critical masses.  There is no room for the narrow-minded. Opening ourselves to different areas and groups is, in my opinion, a correct and brave decision.

Nevertheless, I am apprehensive because we are culturally used to being conservative, we are used to tradition and that is why this process is hard. However, we must take advantage of these risky times because they originate great opportunities.

* Adviser at INESC Porto’s Board

THE READER’S ADVISER COMMENTS

Dear Pedro, reading your statements is like reading the Bible (or the Koran, or the Torah, or the Vedas). Everything is there if we read it correctly. Or nothing is there at all. You speak with a meridian clarity, but are you speaking to the right people? Are you speaking to those who will listen to you?

The process demanded by RJIES has a unique virtue: it causes disruptions, it creates tension. However, disruption alone is not a virtue and the path that we choose (or not) will be virtuous. This is why I believe it is wise to introduce new gradients in stabilized (or even paralyzed) systems. We have learned from Darwin that the evolution is surprising when species are confronted with new environments. Let us bless the meteor! It was a catastrophe for the dinosaurs and the genesis for us.

The role played by Institutions such as INESC Porto may become extremely important because we already have an advanced experience in creating new models, so there’s no need to invent too much. I do not know how to disagree with you. I was pleased to see INESC Porto open up to new areas and change: the Institution is the same, but no longer the same.

But is everyone willing to listen to your voice and your reason?

We must remind ourselves that others need to be reminded of us.