The Mariano Gago Prospective Analysis Prize will be awarded for the first time, in the amount of 10 thousand Euros, a monetary amount attributed by Fundação Oriente, to encourage the development of research work and prospective studies.
Founded in 1991 as a private non-profit association, the Foresight Institute was created by José Mariano Gago with the mission of promoting free thinking and debate around fundamental themes for the future of Portuguese society and Europe.
The figure of José Mariano Gago
Hired as a full professor at the Physics Department of the Instituto Superior Técnico in 1979, José Mariano Gago developed his research activity in the field of experimental particle physics in Paris, at the Ecole Polytechnique, but also in Geneva, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and in Lisbon, at the Laboratório de Física Experimental de Particículas, which he created and of which he was president.
In the mid 1990s, after the creation of the Foresight Institute, Mariano Gago was appointed Minister of Science and Technology in the XIII Constitutional Government, a position he held until 2002. He became, thus, the first holder of a ministerial position exclusively devoted to the area of science and technology, and he fostered the most diverse initiatives for the promotion of scientific and technological culture in Portugal and in the European Union.
Afterwards, until 2005, he also held the Higher Education portfolio, being responsible for a wide reform of the system in Portugal, including the creation of the Assessment and Accreditation Agency for Higher Education. He died in Lisbon on 17 April 2015.
Application process
With applications open until the end of December, it is aimed at young teachers and researchers, of Portuguese or foreign origin, up to 40 years of age, provided they have obtained their doctoral degree less than 10 years ago and intend to work in these areas in Portugal.
Applicants must submit an unpublished written proposal for a prospective research work of multidisciplinary and international scope. The applications may be individual or collective, and there must always be a responsible researcher. More information on the official website.