The development of technology infrastructure in Portugal and the need to pull innovation using proactive intermediation policies

It was not until the 1980s that governments in Portugal began to develop a national technology infrastructure (TI). Although there is no general accepted definition of what constitutes a TI, we define it as comprising different kinds of public, semi-public and private centres and institutes of research and technology. Following a latecomer supply side technology-push rationale and using European structural funds, successive governments in Portugal invested in building a comprehensive TI-system. However, the development of such system overlooked the support needs of the enterprise sector. Hence, questions are now being raised as to whether current policies and structures of support to technology transfer and innovation are relevant and operating effectively. This, in turn, is generating a need to consider new policies oriented to stimulate demand-pull and the use of the capabilities already existent. This paper contributes to assess the outcomes of the efforts undertaken in Portugal to build an effective TI-system to support innovation and technology transfer and suggests new demand-oriented policies.