Multidisciplinary scientific innovation as a weapon against the economic crisis

Over the last decade, the number of PhDs has increased immensely. It is certain that the level of globalisation provided by the Internet has facilitated access to information in a way that made possible an unprecedented interaction between researchers. Never have scientific research and technological development (SR&TD) played such an important role in society. Governments from all over the world (including the Portuguese government) have been increasingly their investments in science and technology, not only by allocating funds to institutions in the scientific and technological system (STS), but also to PhDs/post-doctoral degrees and SR&TD projects, where the role of companies as promoters of economic value resulting from the scientific knowledge generated is increasingly important.

A key factor for a young researcher is future prospects. In 2006, when I started my PhD at INESC TEC (digital signal processing in optical communication systems), I had no idea of the financial and economic crisis that was coming, as well as the consequent financial difficulties that the companies would be facing. Ever since then, countless companies have decreased their sales volume, faced significant credit restrictions and cut down their staff. Record breaking unemployment levels speak for themselves.

However, crises are sometimes followed by opportunities. At a time when it is very difficult for lecturers to enter the academic world, and the phenomenon of "brain drain" is a reality, new PhDs are now seeking other opportunities, for instance to create added value businesses, of which companies FiberSensing, Tomorrow Options, MOG, Xarevision and Tecla Colorida are examples, among other successful cases resulting from research conducted at INESC TEC.

Furthermore, STS technology licensing for the economic fabric represents a growing trend, which I believe plays a fundamental role in increasing our exports and in creating wealth. Innovative companies are well prepared to face periods of crisis. EFACEC, Softi9 and Medidata are some examples of industrial partners which have become innovative by incorporating technology developed at INESC TEC, and as a result they became more competitive in foreign markets.

When I finished my PhD in 2011, I was hired by INESC TEC’s Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit (UTM). My research has been focusing on designing project proposals that value existing scientific results with the business fabric, and thus materialise R&D and consulting contracts. Simultaneously, I have been coordinating projects and supervising de students. As a PhD holder with a contract, I am one of the members of the multidisciplinary team at UTM, which creates a critical mass that is responsible for promoting complementary and strategic skills that are key to develop and follow-up added value projects, products and services, always supporting the clients that will ultimately use them.

Multidisciplinary work is not restricted to UTM since companies require skills from several areas. UTM’s collaboration with the areas of robotics (ROBIS), sensors (UOSE) and power systems (USE) has been increasing and the positive results are now clear. However, INESC TEC incorporates several other areas of intervention and it seems to me that this increasing cooperation should continue in the future.

By Luís Pessoa, collaborator at the Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit (UTM)