In a conversation with Oeiras Valley, the researcher Pedro Simas spoke about the present and the future of science in the municipality.
During the interview, he spoke about the future of Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR) and the “support that the City Council and the residents of Oeiras are showing” for this and other projects framed in the Oeiras Science and Technology Strategy (EOCT) for 2020-2025.
Throughout the conversation, Pedro Simas also spoke about future projects, such as the “One Health” campus, inviting us to also imagine what the future will look like for this municipality: “I think Oeiras will be extremely successful, that what it is doing today will never stop. Oeiras will do it thinking about the municipality, thinking about institutions and not about individuals and egos.”
Read the full interview which introduces the work of Pedro Simas, researcher at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Catholic University of Portugal).
Let’s start by talking about the place where we stand now. What will be born here?
A fantastic project! The new research institute linked to Católica Medical School – Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR). It is an institute dedicated to fundamental research, to the study and basic knowledge of biological processes, so that, for example, an understanding of diseases and possible treatments might be attained and developed. With regard to health, it is the starting point for potentially transformative discoveries which could sow the seeds of healthy living and in balance with nature.
However, this is not the municipality’s first partnership with the scientific community. What other projects are under development?
The Municipality of Oeiras and the Oeiras Science, Technology and Innovation project are unique in the country. Absolutely unique! It is due to the visionary leadership of its president, Isaltino Morais, who many years ago had the opportunity to meet and host three eminent scientists in Oeiras: Professor António Xavier, Professor Manuel Carrondo and Professor António Coutinho. They played a crucial role in the close cooperation between the municipality and scientific initiatives and had a huge impact on science in Portugal.
The president saw the added value of teaching, education and innovation, and instead of turning Oeiras into a mere dormitory municipality for the city of Lisbon, he turned it into the fantastic place you see today. Nowadays, we have the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) and a large scientific campus at the National Agricultural Station (EAN). This campus includes INIAV, a State laboratory that develops agronomic and veterinary research; NOVA University of Lisbon, through the António Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (ITQB); and the Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (iBET), which was recently expanded under the leadership of Professor Paula Alves.
We also have a large technological park, Taguspark. Therefore, there is already a solid scientific presence in Oeiras. The CBR is more focused on medical research, when compared to other institutes, something that did not yet exist in the Municipality of Oeiras.
This new project is but a continuation of all the investment that still continues, since further back than 20 years ago, in the Municipality of Oeiras.
What about future projects?
We are at the beginning, with an entire future ahead of us, and we are starting in a house that is not yet ours, it is the house of the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência. Over the last 30 years, the IGC has become a world-renowned institute. It has made a huge investment in scientists and in the development of cutting-edge methodologies and has played a very important role in society and science in Portugal. The IGC has also had a huge impact on the birth of other major Portuguese scientific institutes, through incubation in its facilities. This is where the Champalimaud Foundation started; CEDOC, a biomedical research institute attached to NOVA Medical School, was also incubated here. Now, it is the CBR’s turn.
The support we get from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência and the Municipality of Oeiras are fundamental to CBR’s success. It allows us to grow, plan and execute the next steps with a critical mass surrounding us already, and to have immediate access to the technologies that allow us to do cutting-edge science. We currently have eight leading researchers and a collective of 30 scientists.
In the future, in addition to cementing our identity, we will build our own space, our Institute, and we plan to do so in an environment that maximizes our research’s opportunities of success. We think this is possible by creating a campus with several institutes and universities, with an environment that promotes scientific excellence through collaboration and interdisciplinarity, by sharing resources, promoting innovation and the transfer of knowledge, by developing partnerships that enable us to attract talent and by having access to competitive funding and resources.
In practice, together with NOVA University of Lisbon, INIAV and iBET we are transforming the National Agricultural Station’s campus into the “One Health” campus. The key cornerstones of the “One Health” concept are three interrelated areas which work together to address health issues in a broader, holistic context: human health, animal health and environmental health. This requires close collaboration between human, animal and environmental health professionals as well as from other related disciplines, with the aim of preventing and responding to health threats that arise from the complex interactions between humans, animals and the environment. This holistic approach is fundamental to addressing global challenges such as pandemics, antimicrobial resistance and climate change.
At the “One Health” campus, we have been able to bring together veterinary, agricultural and biomedical sciences as well as applied chemistry to ensure this synergy, and we have also been successful in attracting biotech companies.
We also want to open the campus to the residents of Oeiras, raising awareness in the community and inspiring it about the importance of science and education. We intend to make Avenida da República a gateway to the magnificent National Agricultural Station, which will have cafés, a gym, a nursery and kindergarten, as well as libraries; it will integrate the municipality with science, and vice versa, educating people about our work, especially at a time when misinformation is a challenge. In this future, we aspire to strengthen our ties with the people and help them understand what we do, while they help us understand what they need.
How do you see the future of this true technological and scientific campus that is being created in Oeiras?
I envision an incredible future for this campus, considering the gigantic success it has already achieved. We are adding more competence to something that is already highly competent, like a geometric progression, similar to the behavior of pandemic viruses. That is the magic of critical mass.
The Universidade Católica Portuguesa has the opportunity to join an already established structure which makes our work a lot easier. In this environment of interdisciplinarity and maximization of resources, I believe that the science of excellence we want will make us competitive in the search for national and international funding, which is fundamental for our sustainability. Furthermore, I do envision a bright future in this proactive and genuine connection with the residents of Oeiras, with everyone, actually. This initiative is open to all, and that is extremely important.
What is your assessment of the Oeiras Science and Technology Strategy (EOCT) for 2020-2025?
It is extremely positive, given all that I have witnessed over the last 20 years. I returned from Cambridge to Oeiras, to the IGC, 23 years ago as a leading researcher under the leadership of Professor António Coutinho. The growth and evolution in Portuguese science since then have been remarkable. Today, I feel deeply grateful to be able to return and start this new project. President Isaltino’s strategy and vision allowed the Universidade Católica Portuguesa to establish the CBR in Oeiras and create the necessary infrastructure to start this project.
In a constantly evolving world, investment in science plays a key role in progress and sustainability. It is through the power of research, innovation and knowledge that we will be able to continue to evolve.
