“Who Gets Public Support to Innovation? Evidence from the Portuguese Alentejo Region”

The aim of the study is to assess which factors influence the policymaking decisions to financially support an innovative investment project. Based on the case study of the Portuguese Innovation Incentive System in the Alentejo region, we estimated an econometric model based on firms’ and application’ characteristics, controlling for macroeconomic environment. The results indicate that the selection process is more focused on the expected project impact than on firms’ past performance. Furthermore, we found that government preference for promoting employment and exportation are shown to be higher than the impact on firm productivity.

ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION IN THE WEST REGION OF PORTUGAL

Greenhouse production is a very important activity in the West region of Portugal, with an area of approximately 800 ha where the regular production consists in two crops per year, one in winter-spring and the other in summer-autumn. Many growers are now prepared to better exploit market opportunities, since they know that the big export window opportunity is from June to September, when the production is difficult in other regions of south due to high temperatures. Grower’s use new and more productive varieties, either in soil or hydroponic systems, mostly in unheated greenhouses, naturally ventilated, and equipped with modern fertigation systems. Greenhouse production causes some environmental impacts due to the high use of inputs. Several improvements in technologies and crop practices may contribute to increase the use efficiency of resources, decreasing the negative environmental impacts. Greenhouse vegetable production in Northern EU countries is based on the supply of heating and differs significantly from the production system in the Southern EU countries. In the Northern countries, direct energy inputs, mostly for heating, are predominant while in the South the indirect energy input is also important, mainly associated with fertilizers, plastic cover materials and other auxiliary materials. The main objective of this work was to characterise the greenhouse production systems in the West region of Portugal, in order to evaluate the energetic consumptions (direct and indirect), the GHH emissions, the production costs and the farmer’s income. With this work the mostly important inputs were identified, allowing proposing alternative measures to improve efficiency and sustainability. All the data was obtained by surveys performed directly with growers, previously selected to be representative of the crop practices and greenhouse type of the region. However, more research should be performed in order to develop and to test technologies capable to improve resources use efficiency in greenhouse production.

“Productivity and Employment in Firm’s Acess to Public Funding to Support Innovation���

Innovation is at the heart of the Europe 2020 Strategy, in order to promote higher levels of employment and productivity. Special attention is given to increasing the effectiveness of innovation policy instruments, mainly as some authors found evidence that productivity could be negatively affected by subsidies. The aim of the study is to assess how the expected impact on firm productivity and employment is taken into account, when firms apply for public funding for innovation. The analysis is based on the case study of the Portuguese Innovation Incentive System in the Alentejo region. In order to understand which factors influence the public decision to financially support private investment, we estimated a logit model based on firms’ and applications’ characteristics, controlling for the macroeconomic environment. The results indicate that government preferences for promoting exports, exploiting firms R&D results and stimulating the level of qualified employment are shown to be more relevant than the impact on firm productivity. Furthermore, the cost to the government of new jobs created, measured at least by exemption of interest and financial charges on the loan, is almost twice as much for non-SMEs as for SMEs.

Serviços educativos e turismo cultural no museu da tapeçaria de Portalegre Guy Fino

Este projecto faz uma abordagem à nova museologia e ao seu papel no mercado do turismo, com especial enfoque nos serviços educativos dos museus portugueses e na sua relação com o turismo cultural. O estudo do património artístico e cultural do Museu da Tapeçaria 1e Portalegre Guy Fino e da Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, bem como a análise crítica dos serviços educativos de museus importantes a nível nacional e internacional, serviram de suporte à realização do projecto de criação de serviços educativos no referido Museu. O projecto tem como principal objectivo qualificar a oferta turístico-cultural que as Tapeçarias de Portalegre representam e está estruturado de forma a poderem ser desenvolvidas actividades em rede com os outros dois museus da cidade, o Museu Municipal e a Casa Museu José Régio. Foram escolhidas, como áreas temáticas, a História, a História da Arte e a Literatura. As actividades propostas para as áreas temáticas, são de três tipos: visitas dinamizadas, visitas-oficina e vistas-jogo, podendo algumas delas ser desenvolvidas on-line, de forma interactiva. Todas as actividades propostas exploram conteúdos programáticos que integram os planos curriculares do 1° Ciclo do Ensino Básico, podendo algumas delas ser desenvolvidas também por alunos do 2° Ciclo e por famílias de diferentes nacionalidades. O projecto constitui um primeiro passo para uma progressiva transformação das Tapeçarias de Portalegre numa atracção âncora do turismo cultural regional, sem perder de vista as suas inquestionáveis potencialidades de se tornar numa atracção de âmbito nacional e internacional. ABSTRACT: This project makes an approach to the new museology and its role on tourist market, with special focus on the educational services in portuguese museums and its relationship with cultural tourism. The investigation about the artistic and cultural patrimony of Guy Fino Museum and the Manufacture, as well as the critic analysis of educational services in important national and international museums, supported the present project of creation of educational services for Guy Fino Museum. The defined main objective of the project is qualifying the touristic and cultural offer represented by the Tapestries of Portalegre. lt is structured in a way that allows activities to be developed in network with other museums in the city: The Municipal Museum and the Museum House of Jose Regio. ln this way, the following areas were chosen: History, History of Arte and Literature. The activities proposed for the themes are three types: dynamic visits, visits - hands on and visits - games, some being developed on-line, in an interactive way. Twelve activities were conceptualized. Ali the proposed activities explore programmed contents that integrate curricular plans of primary school. Some of the activities can also be developed by students of secondary school and families. The translation of the material used should be in a way that they can be used and developed by foreign visitors. The project constitutes a first step for a progressive transformation of the Tapestries of Portalegre in an anchor attraction of the regional cultural tourism, being sure of their unquestionable potentialities to become a national and international attraction.

FESTA DO VINHO DA MADEIRA, TURISMO E IDENTIDADE CULTURAL

Madeira Wine Festival is a special event that seeks to maintain, through its various cultural manifestations, the cultural identity of Madeira associated to the vineyard and wine. Through the feast the host community tries to resist global culture brought about by the globalization process. In fact, the festivals that reflect the cultural identity of a region operate as an excellent 'gun' to valorize the cultural traditions. On the other hand, also help to promote a destination or to improve the tourism image of a region. This Communication aims to show how the Madeira Wine Festival is a valued element of cultural identity related to the wine.

Valuing landscape identity of local inhabitants through a tourism discourse

Landscape, people and identity Landscape is about the interaction of a place or an area with people, which is reflected in the material interaction of people creating or shaping the landscape as well as in their mental perception, valuation and symbolic meaning of that landscape (Cosgrove 1998). This mutual and dynamic interaction forms the fundamental principle of the concept of landscape identity. Landscape identity has been described in scientific literature as a concept to bridge the physical, social and cultural aspects of landscapes. Also policy documents related with landscape and heritage (for example the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the European Landscape Convention, the Faro Convention) are mentioning identity and landscape as key concepts. In those examples, landscape identity can refer to either the landscape itself - its features that makes the landscape unique (thus the landscape character), or to the social and personal construction. However, there is an interdependency between those two perspectives that needs to be conceptualised. Landscape identity is therefore defined as the multiple ways and dynamic relation between landscape and people (Loupa Ramos et al 2016).