The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External relations conveyed today the Regional Government's interest in bringing to the Region new financing opportunities and new Community programmes at the national level, following the work already begun with some programmes.
 
Rui Bettencourt spoke at the opening of the session "Opportunities, challenges and perspectives of funding in Horizon 2020." On the occasion, he stressed the willingness to cooperate with the National Government in this matter as well as the "willingness and responsibility" of the Regional Government to accompany projects and help establishing new partnerships.
 
"We are currently in a very interesting context, when times and the idea of development are changing," the government official said, noting that "there is no possible scenario for the development of regions and territories if we do not go through innovation."
 
In his speech, the government official stressed that "economic and social development is no longer goes through the size of regions and companies or the ability of companies to produce more, but rather through the capacity for innovation." In this regard, he called for the participation of scholars, entrepreneurs and students.
 
In this context, the Regional Secretary considered that a programme such as Horizon 2020 is "an excellent and ideal framework" for the Azores, as it is "a strategic programme and a mandatory crossing point for our development."
 
Nevertheless, Rui Bettencourt warned for the need to take care in the implementation of projects so that we may walk "with strength, competence and dynamics" towards what we intend for the post 2020.
 
The Regional Secretary also said this "new paradigm" provides the Azores with new opportunities, stressing that "we must be aware that the development of the Azores in 10, 15 or 20 years may not be limited to one sector of activity, however strong it may be, because we will be competing with many regions."
 
"All this poses many challenges and an enormous responsibility," the government official said, adding that the fact "that we are a small region should not inhibit us from being innovative and competitive."