"We must promote science and scientific culture in a gender equality perspective," says Regional Director for Science and Technology
The Regional Director for Science and Technology highlighted today the "importance" of scientific research produced by the "women of science" working in the Azores.
Bruno Pacheco spoke at the end of a visit to the Centre of Applied Economics Studies of the Atlantic and the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources of the University of the Azores. He met with the researchers in charge of two ongoing scientific projects that are being developed in Tourism and Environment in the archipelago.
"Smart Tourism" is the name of the project led by researcher Teresa Tiago, who is developing a model for the evaluation and monitoring of "Tourism 3.0" applied to the Azores. It provides for "the systematisation of information and identification of critical development factors, which will be released to regional companies as a support tool."
Studying and analysing the presence of cyanobacteria in the Azores waters and the potential production of cyanotoxins, harmful to environmental and public health, are the goals of the project led by researcher Rita Cordeiro, who received a grant from the Regional Fund for Science and Technology.
The Regional Director stated that he choose the "symbolism" of the International Women's Day to "become better acquainted with two of the many scientific projects led by women in the archipelago."
"It is important to promote science and scientific culture in the Region in a perspective of gender equality and equal opportunities in the academic and professional spheres," said the government official.
According to Regional Director, "the 2017 data on advanced training grant holders of the Regional Fund for Science and Technology indicate that there are more women than men working in research in the Azores: 80 women and 52 men."
In these meetings with researchers, Bruno Pacheco stressed that "the Government of the Azores has opened a new line of funding for participation in congresses that is totally geared towards young people, whether they are doctoral students or recent graduates."
This competition for the participation in scientific meetings, under PRO-SCIENTIA, represents an investment of 25 thousand Euros and aims to encourage "production, training and specialised scientific dissemination."
The tender will allocate 500 Euros to the participation in international scientific meetings in Portugal, while the amount for international scientific meetings in Europe is set at 1,500 and at 2,000 Euros for meetings outside Europe.
The tender runs until the end of June and is open to undergraduate students, students who graduated less than three years ago, Master's and Doctoral students as well as researchers who completed a Master's or a Doctoral degree less than three years ago.
Bruno Pacheco recalled that 11 projects were supported in the last edition of this tender in 2014.