Católica's research community gathers for CARE to Innovate
The research community of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) was gathered in a pioneering event - CARE to Innovate - that promoted learning and dialogue around Innovation.
"An important step", in the opinion of Peter Hanenberg, vice-rector for innovation and research at Universidade Católica, because it is one more sign of the commitment that the University has with Innovation. Believing that "research and innovation go hand in hand and do not live one without the other", the Vice-Rector added that "through research we question the world and through innovation we solve the world's problems".
A "multidisciplinary" and "totally dedicated to research" event that allowed "highlighting the path of Innovation at UCP". The words are from Isabel Braga da Cruz, president of the Regional Center of Porto of UCP, who opened the conference, welcoming all participants and challenging the community to a fruitful and enriching debate.
CARE to Innovate took place on June 27, at the UCP campus in Porto, and brought together directors of the faculties and research centers, professors, researchers and doctoral and post-doctoral students from the Porto, Braga, Viseu and Lisbon campuses.
Through this event, the UCP intends to open the doors to the future, giving way to dialogue and knowledge sharing, as an indispensable condition for a path of evolution.
The power of the Universities
"We have tremendous power to innovate in universities," says Filipe Santos, dean of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. During his lecture, entitled "Innovation with purpose", the lecturer shared different examples that reinforced the importance of innovating with a purpose. The speaker emphasized the importance of "social entrepreneurship" and "social innovation", capable of "generating impact" and responding to social needs. A motivating talk about the challenge and opportunity of social entrepreneurs.
"We have a great responsibility to contribute to development and progress," he concluded.
CARE to Innovate approached Innovation in its different aspects - social, cultural, pedagogical and technological - through a multi and interdisciplinary look.
Alex Standen, Head of Academic Development at The London School of Economics and Political Science, was also one of the speakers in the morning part of the event with the lecture "Get inspired - Lifelong learning.
Inspire, learn, reflect
Alex Standen, in an inspiring presentation, combined different key ideas that invite reflection on a path of leadership and awareness of the importance of academic and pedagogical development. The speaker intended, through her background, to share her experience of leadership development and also how one can support others in leadership processes.
What are the values that guide one's path and work? All conference participants were invited to answer this question, through the use of an interactive application that allows them to share their answers immediately. Respect, integrity, transparency, empathy, responsibility, ethics, care and scientific rigor were some of the values shared by the Católica's research community.
During the presentation, the speaker also highlighted the importance of "collaborative work" and the ability to be "flexible, agile and adaptable", all essential conditions for change.
To conclude, Alex Standen presented Kotter's 8 step-process for leading change, which begins precisely with the "sense of urgency": what do we want to change?
Pedagogical Innovation
Diana Soares, professor at the School of Education and Psychology and coordinator of the Católica Learning Innovation Lab (CLIL), began her presentation by stating that "to understand the future of education, we need to understand the future of the world of work.
What are the new professions, qualifications and skills? In her presentation, entitled "Innovation in Education", Diana Soares alerts to the importance of reflecting on the models of teaching and learning, so that they can be adapted to the new times and so that Higher Education can be positively transformed.
During the lecture, the speaker presented CLIL, created in 2021, at UCP, with the purpose of promoting and stimulating Pedagogical Innovation in the various Regional Centers of the University. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, the laboratory seeks to identify, develop and test innovative pedagogical approaches, relying on the collaboration of teachers, researchers and students, as well as members of the business sector and civil society.
What are the challenges for knowledge transfer?
"Knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship" was the title of the presentation by Susana Costa e Silva, professor and researcher at Católica Porto Business School. During the presentation the main challenges of technology transfer and the most relevant skills to develop were addressed: "investing in planning, having a good team, investing in effective collaboration, based on trust, communication, commitment, and shared values, having the right resources, understanding the surrounding ecosystem where the technology will emerge", among others.
In the final part, Susana Costa e Silva referred to the VUCA model that defines the current world: "Volatility" (volatility), "Uncertainty" (uncertainty), "Complexity" (complexity), and "Ambiguity" (ambiguity). Given this scenario, the speaker says it is "highly recommended to be aware of any changes in the situation and context".
Vítor Dinis, partner at Pathena, was the last speaker of the event with a presentation called "Get inspired again - Overcoming barriers", which aimed to expose a challenging perspective of the barriers to be overcome in the application of the discoveries of universities in business and society.
During the presentation, Vítor Dinis mentioned the importance of the role and contribution of universities: "universities conduct research that forms the basis of spin-offs; they manage and protect intellectual property; technology transfer offices help researchers in the commercialization process; universities provide support structures such as incubators and accelerators."
João Pereira, from the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, who guided the various moments of the event, also mentioned that it is gratifying to see that the Universidade Católica "doesn't work as a set of cells, but as a real organism".
Discuss, dialogue, participate
Throughout the event, different round tables were held in which it was possible to deepen the themes presented by the various speakers. The goal was to discuss the different themes, giving voice to elements of the Católica's research community.
"Social and cultural innovation at UCP" was the first round table, with the participation of Filipe Daniel Martins (ATES), Ana Oliveira (CRC-W) and Frederico Fezas-Vital (FCEE), and moderated by João Pereira (CIIS).
The "Pedagogical Innovation at UCP" was in debate at the second round table, moderated by Amanda Franco (FEP) and with the participation of Maria José Correia (CIIS), Pedro Mateus (FM) and Ângela Azevedo (CEFH). The participants reflected on the relevance and potential of pedagogical innovation, having as their main focus the culture of the Universidade Católica.
The last round table of the event, which took place during the afternoon, discussed "The entrepreneurial reality of the Universidade Católica". Again moderated by João Pereira, the roundtable had the participation of João Cortez and Ricardo Gómez-García, both from CBQF.
During the final part of the event, two discussion sessions were promoted, led by João Cortez (CBQF) and Patrícia Oliveira-Silva (FEP/CEDH) under the themes "How to foster entrepreneurship and the creation of internal services of UCP?" and "How to ensure a more active and visible role of UCP in the relationship with society?".
The themes were discussed in small groups, with the opportunity to exchange ideas and suggestions, which contribute to make the UCP an increasingly innovative and entrepreneurial University. Everyone was invited to design, together, an Innovation and Entrepreneurship strategy for UCP. The CARE to Innovate meeting was an opportunity to look inward to design the future.