This projects aims to contribute to a substantive and deeper knowledge on this subject. Thus, the central question and driver of the project is that of scientific development in Associated Laboratories – this choice of the empirical object is justified in the “Plan and Methods”- and their contribution to improve technological innovation in firms. To achieve this goal, particular attention will be given to the following analysis dimensions: the forms of producing and organizing scientific activity in laboratories, the scientific life of researchers and their values orientation, the types of funding (public/private) and their impact in the scientists careers and in the modalities of “transfer of knowledge” to firms, as well as to the internationalization of science.

The study of the relationship between qualification systems and systems of formal and informal regulation of the Portuguese labour market represents the main objective of this project. The starting hypothesis of the research is that in specific sectors of economic activity the lack of demanding labour-market regulating mechanisms and instruments, from the perspective of formal qualifications, has the effect of removing the pressure on formal qualification systems to perform better. This research project aims to describe the ways of recruiting groups with different qualification levels and integrating them into the labour market and to analyse how they are affected unequally by phenomena such as precarious labour, unemployment and the development of new forms of work organization;  to describe the factors that condition the present performance of the Portuguese educational system and phenomena like repetition of a year or early school-leaving (dropping out of school), in particular before the end of compulsory education.