Promoting linkages between university and enterprises: the case of the Algarve region

Innovation has assumed an increased importance in Regional Development theories. This communication hopes to contribute to the understanding of the Algarve Regional Innovation Systems, a peripheral region in the National and European framework, where an economic growth is supported by Tourism, which leaves it out of the group of poorest regions when the GDPpc indicator is taken in account. A synthesis of the recent Regional Innovation Strategies for the Algarve is presented including the previous experiences of Ettirse and INOVAlgarve. From this late programme emerged CRIA – Regional Centre for Innovation of the Algarve, focused in the promotion, transfer and commercial approach to technology and knowledge in the academy, consolidating the linkages University-Enterprise. This paper tries to understand the actions carried on by this organism and its role in the development of the region.Innovation; Triple Helix, Regional Innovation Strategies, Technology-Transfer

Knowledge Transfer in the Mirror: Reflections on the Determinants of Research Groups and Companies Collaborative Patterns within Andalusia's Regional Innovation System

Knowledge transfer is a crucial aspect for the new paradigm of science-industry cooperation. The new role of universities and the relevance of external knowledge to firm's competitiveness brought a huge attention to this process both in analytical and decision-making terms. Commonly, formal mechanisms as intellectual property rights licensing, research contracts and spinning-off are the focus of the policy interventions and studies but the role of informality is being underlined by several recent research results. This article explores the crucial factors that induce science and industry collaborations in Andalusia, a catching-up region in Spanish and European context. The study uses limited dependent and count data regression analysis based in a survey applied in parallel to research groups and firms. The estimated regressions create a mirror image between these two institutional spheres stressing aspects that are more relevant in each reality to stimulate the existence, number, diversity and informality of knowledge transfer. The results give relevant insights for policies to stimulate knowledge transfer in technology moderate intensive South European regions.

Universities and institutionalization of regional innovation policy in peripheral regions: insights from the smart specialization in Portugal

Regional innovation policies are currently influenced by a series of territorial innovation models, with the regional innovation system (RIS) approach being one of the prominent examples. The rationale of smart specialization strategies (S3s) is deeply influenced by the RIS concept and highlights the importance of entrepreneurial discovery and shared governance by different types of actors. Among them, universities are seen as crucial for the success of S3 design and implementation. This article, mixing a policy debate perspective with analysis of recent quantitative and qualitative information about the Portuguese case, highlights relevant aspects for understanding the institutionalization of regional innovation and the role universities have in it as crucial knowledge brokers. The results have implications for regional innovation policies and in particular for the challenges that peripheral regions face.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estudo das propriedades físicas do oxicarboneto de titânio usando a teoria do funcional da densidade

Dissertação de mestrado em Física dos Materiais Avançados (área de especialização em Métodos Computacionais e Teóricos em Física da Matéria Condensada)Neste trabalho é apresentado um estudo teórico sobre as propriedades físicas do oxicarboneto de titânio. Todos os cálculos foram realizados com o código VASP que é uma implementação da teoria do funcional da densidade com pseudopotenciais. Foi calculada a variação do parâmetro de rede do oxicarboneto de titânio na estrutura rocksalt em função da concentração de oxigénio e de lacunas na rede não metálica em condições estequiométricas e subestequiométricas. Estudou-se igualmente a estabilidade termodinâmica do TiCxO1-x e foi feito o cálculo da energia de formação de defeitos, lacunas e substitucionais, em TiC e TiO em função das condições de formação. No caso do composto ternário TiC0:5O0:5 foi calculada a energia de formação de lacunas de titânio, carbono e oxigénio. Finalmente estudaram-se as propriedades electrónicas e ópticas do material. Assim, foi calculada a densidade de estados total e parcial do TiCxO1-x e a densidade de carga do TiC e TiO, bem como a parte real da condutividade óptica a partir das transições interbandas de estados ocupados para estados não ocupados. Usando o modelo de Drude foi possível determinar a contribuição interbandas da condutividade óptica experimental e comparar os resultados com os cálculos teóricos.Here is presented a theoretical study of the physical properties of titanium oxicarbide. All the calculations were carried out using the VASP code, which is an implementation of the density functional theory with pseudopotentials. The lattice parameter of titanium oxycarbide was calculated as function of oxygen and vacancy content in the non-metallic lattice in stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric conditions. The thermodinamic stability of TiCxO1-x was also studied. It was calculated the formation energy of defects, vacancies and substitutionals, for TiC and TiO taking in account the formation chemical environment. For the ternary compound TiC0:5O0:5 it was calculated the formation energy of titanium, carbon and oxygen vacancies. Finally we studied the electronic and optical properties of this material, calculating the total and parcial density of states and the real part of the optical conductivity for TiCxO1-x. The theoretical calculation of the real part of the optical conductivity were compared with the experimental results.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - projecto PTDC/CTM/69362/2006Projecto SeARCH-Services and Advanced Research Computing with HTC/HPC cluster (CONC-REEQ/443/EEI/2005)Projecto “SO2/1.3/ E47 - Sud-European cooperative network for a science-industry synergy in the surface treatment sector – CHESS”, do programa INTERREG III “Sudoeste Europeo” (SUDOE

Economics in Turmoil: Integrating Moral and Plural in a Satisfactory Economic Science

The crisis in (financial) markets led to the failure of orthodoxy and should bring out a new theoretical and methodological framework to Economics. This essay discusses what is Economics and if it needs to move away from its normative dimension to assert itself as a producer of scientific knowledge. The economist should not be the only scientist who studies the behavior of rational agents and the allocation of scarce resources slave method and quantitative formalism. The economist has to be someone who understands that there is no scientific analysis of the economic realm excluding its main components: the unpredictable nature of individuals and the social and moral condition that exists in each person.Economics; Orthodoxy; Mainstream; Pluralism; Moral

There is one institutionalism? Pathways to a satisfactory economic theory

The essay will try to debate about the institutional theory, confronting the emergence of institutionalism with the limits of neoclassical theory. The initial old institutionalism and the new institutionalism ideas will be discussed trying to underline what distinguishes the ideas of Coase and Williamson from other approaches that tried to export the economic theory and its methodological individualism, a movement that became known as the imperialism of economics, a transposition of methods and microeconomic analysis, to subjects not commonly analyzed by economics, as the ones served as the basis for the work of Becker. In the end it will try to touch on whether the old theory and new institutionalism are converging or diverging towards a new institutionalism.Institutions, Old institutionalism, New institutionalism, Neoclassical Theory

Web application penetration test: Proposal for a generic web application testing methodology

Nowadays, Security Management is beginning to become a priority for most companies. The primary aim is to prevent unauthorized identities from accessing classified information and using it against the organization. The best way to mitigate hacker attacks is to learn their methodologies. There are numerous ways to do it, but the most common is based on Penetration Tests, a simulation of an attack to verify the security of a system or environment to be analyzed. This test can be performed through physical means utilizing hardware or through social engineering. The objective of this test is to examine, under extreme circumstances, the behavior of systems, networks, or personnel devices, to identify their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. This dissertation will present an analysis of the State of the Art related to penetration testing, the most used tools and methodologies, its comparison, and the most critical web application vulnerabilities. With the goal of developing a generic security testing methodology applicable to any Web application, an actual penetration test to the web application developed by VTXRM – Software Factory (Accipiens) will be described, applying methods and Open-Source software step by step to assess the security of the different components of the system that hosts Accipiens. At the end of the dissertation, the results will be exposed and analyzed.Atualmente, a Gestão de Segurança da Informação começa a tornar-se uma prioridade para a maioria das Empresas, com o principal objetivo de impedir que identidades não autorizadas acedam a informações confidenciais e as utilizem contra a organização. Uma das melhores formas de mitigar os possíveis ataques é aprender com as metodologias dos atacantes. Existem inúmeras formas de o fazer, mas a mais comum baseia-se na realização de Testes de Intrusão, uma simulação de um ataque para verificar a segurança de um sistema ou ambiente a ser analisado. Este teste pode ser realizado através de meios físicos utilizando hardware, através de engenharia social e através de vulnerabilidades do ambiente. O objetivo deste teste é examinar, em circunstâncias extremas, o comportamento de sistemas, redes, ou dispositivos pessoais, para identificar as suas fraquezas e vulnerabilidades. Nesta dissertação será apresentada uma análise ao estado da arte relacionada com testes de penetração, as ferramentas e metodologias mais utilizadas, uma comparação entre elas, serão também explicadas algumas das vulnerabilidades mais críticas em aplicações web. O objetivo é o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia genérica de testes de intrusão, ambicionando a sua aplicabilidade e genericidade em aplicações web, sendo esta aplicada e descrita num teste de intrusão real à aplicação web desenvolvida pela VTXRM – Software Factory (Accipiens), aplicando passo a passo métodos e softwares Open-Source com o objetivo de analisar a segurança dos diferentes componentes do sistema no qual o Accipiens está instalado. No final serão apresentados os resultados do mesmo e a sua análise

Knowledge Production in European Union: Evidence from a National Level Panel Data

The knowledge production function framework is used to understand how territories transform specific inputs into knowledge outputs. This article focuses knowledge production function estimation at European Union with twenty five member-states using a data panel analysis between 1999 and 2003. The importance of different variables in knowledge production is tested. The econometric results give relevant insights for EU decision-makers and the creation of a more integrated European Research Area and innovation cooperation within Europe.Knowledge Production Function; Panel Data; European Union