Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Philanthropy in Portugal

2007; Springer Nature; Volume: 8; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/sj.embor.7401021

1469-3178

Sofia Rodrigues, Maria de la Mota, Leonor Saúde, Sheila Vidal, Margarida Trindade,

Innovation Policy and R&D

Correspondence8 June 2007free access Philanthropy in Portugal Sofia Rodrigues Sofia Rodrigues Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Maria Mota Maria Mota Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Leonor Saúde Leonor Saúde Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Sheila Vidal Sheila Vidal Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Margarida Trindade Margarida Trindade Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Sofia Rodrigues Sofia Rodrigues Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Maria Mota Maria Mota Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Leonor Saúde Leonor Saúde Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Sheila Vidal Sheila Vidal Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Margarida Trindade Margarida Trindade Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal Search for more papers by this author Author Information Sofia Rodrigues1, Maria Mota1, Leonor Saúde1, Sheila Vidal1 and Margarida Trindade1 1Associação Viver a Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal EMBO Reports (2007)8:613-615https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.7401021 PDFDownload PDF of article text and main figures. ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyWechatReddit Figures & Info At the European Council meeting in Lisbon in 2000, the European Union (EU) established the strategic goal of becoming “the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world” by 2010 (Fontaine, 2000). To achieve this, each EU member state would be required to increase its investment in research and development (R&D) to 3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which would necessitate an increase in both public and private investments. An important component of private investment is philanthropy. A group of experts recently proposed several policy recommendations to strengthen the role of philanthropy in financing R&D in Europe (EC, 2005). Their report concluded that the EU must further exploit the potential of philanthropy to achieve the strategic investment goals established in the Lisbon Agenda (EC, 2006a). However, many European societies do not have a well-established philanthropic framework. This is in contrast to the USA and Canada, which have strong philanthropic traditions including specialized institutions to promote fundraising. For example, from 2003 to 2004 the Faculty of Medicine at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada raised 12% of its research funding exclusively from private donations (Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005). In Europe, the UK has the strongest tradition of philanthropy in science, with many organizations devoted to attracting non-governmental funding. University College London (UK), for example, has raised more than GBP£30 million in private donations over the past two years for research and other strategically important areas. Even more well known is the charity Cancer Research UK (London)—the world's leading independent organization dedicated to cancer research. It has an annual scientific budget of GBP£257 million donated almost entirely by the public. This is possible owing to a well-established framework for philanthropy that encourages Britons to give money to specific causes. In recent years, small European countries such as Ireland, have also successfully boosted philanthropic donations for science, following the trend observed for many years in the UK. By comparison, scientific philanthropy in Portugal remains undeveloped. The difference between Ireland and Portugal might be explained from a historical perspective. Despite both being small, predominantly Catholic countries at the geographical fringe of the EU, their approaches to philanthropy for science have been fairly different. Similarly to the UK, Ireland has had a long tradition of philanthropy in many areas of society. For example, The Ireland Funds (Dublin) has raised money for a wide range of causes in Ireland for 31 years with branches in 11 different countries. The Children's Medical & Research Foundation (Crumlin, Ireland) supports Our Lady's Children's Hospital and the Children's Research Centre, both in Crumlin, and illustrates how Irish research institutes are able to secure philanthropic money. In the 1990s, Ireland experienced strong economic growth—the ‘Celtic Tiger’ period—that generated a significant increase in wealth. The combination of a strong economy and a philanthropy-friendly society boosted R&D fundraising significantly. According to Kingsley Aikins, CEO of The Ireland Funds, this might be “the opportunity for the Celtic Tiger to become a Philanthropic Tiger” (Aikins, 2006). His statement is backed up by the fact that, since its creation, The Ireland Funds has raised US$300 million—US$210 million of which was raised in the past 10 years alone. Although exact figures for philanthropic funding are difficult to determine, the overall private investment in R&D in 2005 in Ireland was just over €387 million, compared with a total of just over €17 million in Portugal. Furthermore, 12 Irish companies are among the world's 1,000 best investors in R&D, whereas only two Portuguese companies appear on the list (EC, 2006b). In Portugal, the Catholic Church has always driven charitable fundraising. However, despite this religious influence—which is also present in Ireland—philanthropy for science has never truly developed. The single exception to this is the legacy of the businessman Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian: the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. This foundation has shaped the artistic, educational and scientific scene in Portugal during the past 50 years. Apart from this contribution, Portuguese society has few examples of charitable institutions dedicated to fundraising for science. Additionally, the Portuguese economy has not undergone a growth period similar to the ‘Celtic Tiger’ period in Ireland. Before joining the EU in 1986, the Portuguese economy was predominantly based on agriculture, fishing and trade. Despite new investment and developments since joining the EU, the Portuguese economy is still outperformed by most other EU countries—a potential factor contributing to the small philanthropic effort seen in Portugal. Despite this, there are some recent examples of philanthropy in Portugal that suggest that the private sector and the general population are becoming more aware of the benefits of giving for science. The most striking example is the recent creation of the Fundação Sommer-Champalimaud by a Portuguese entrepreneur. This fund aims to invest a total of around €400 million in biomedical research, making it the second largest foundation in Portugal. More good examples are Fundação Bial, which has funded researchers and research projects in biomedicine and the neurosciences since 1994, and the campaign, ‘Friends of IPATIMUP’, launched for the first time in 2004 to raise funds for the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP; Portugal), which is dedicated to cancer research. More recently, other institutions have emerged to support research into specific diseases in Portugal. One example is the Associação Portuguesa Contra a Leucemia, which was started in 2002 by leukaemia patients and regularly organizes fundraising events. The most famous of these is a biennial concert, which attracts significant public attention and money. The success of this association suggests that the Portuguese are ready to contribute to specific causes, as long as an organized infrastructure raises awareness and channels people's generosity. The non-profit organization Associação Viver a Ciência was created in 2004 by a group of young scientists concerned with the future of philanthropy in Portugal. The Associação Viver a Ciência believes that if citizens become engaged with science, they will appreciate its benefits and contribute to it. The association has organized several science-promoting events including publications, exhibitions and workshops, and has successfully attracted private investment for research by creating two sponsored annual prizes for Portuguese life scientists. The Crioestaminal Award is awarded for an outstanding biomedical research project, whereas the Citomed Award is given for a peer-reviewed scientific paper in immunology. In addition, Viver a Ciência collaborated with the media, several companies and other organizations throughout 2005 and 2006 to promote the Law of Scientific Sponsorship (Lei do Mecenato Científico). This law provides tax benefits for science-related donations. These and other examples indicate that the time is right to create a framework for philanthropic donation to science in Portugal, similar to those in Ireland and the UK. Despite a climate of economic crisis—and perhaps even as a consequence of it—people realize that they can directly influence the future through charitable donations. Importantly, the Portuguese people are starting to acknowledge the need for accountability and transparency—they want to make sure that their money is used efficiently, fairly and ethically. However, much work remains to be done to create such a framework for philanthropy—and it has to involve all of Portuguese society. Well-established systems similar to those in Ireland and the UK should be used as models for Portugal, and International recommendations, similar to those made in the report, Giving more for research in Europe (EC, 2005), should be embraced by all parties involved. It is clear that science and the scientists in Portugal—and in the rest of Europe—would appreciate and benefit from such a collective effort. Therefore, it is vital to achieving the goals set by the Lisbon Agenda. Biography Sofia Rodrigues, Maria Mota, Leonor Saúde, Sheila Vidal & Margarida Trindade are at the Associação Viver a Ciência in Lisbon, Portugal. E-mail: [email protected] References Aikins K (2006) Promoting philanthropy in Ireland —101 fundraising tips. Dublin, Ireland: The Ireland FundsGoogle Scholar EC (2005) Giving more for research in Europe: the role of foundations and the non-profit sector in boosting R&D investment. Brussels, Belgium: European CommissionGoogle Scholar EC (2006a) Giving more for research in Europe: strengthening the role of philanthropy in the financing of research. Brussels, Belgium: European CommissionGoogle Scholar EC (2006b) Monitoring industrial research: the 2006 EU industrial R&D investment scoreboard. Technical Report EUR 22348 EN. Brussels, Belgium: European CommissionGoogle Scholar Fontaine N (2000) Presidency conclusions, Lisbon European Council, 23 and 24 March 2000. Lisbon, Portugal: President of the European ParliamentGoogle Scholar Memorial University of Newfoundland (2005) The research report 2004–2005. St John's, Newfoundland, Canada: Memorial University of Newfoundland. www.mun.ca/research/2005reportGoogle Scholar Previous ArticleNext Article Volume 8Issue 71 July 2007In this issue ReferencesRelatedDetailsLoading ...