ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to highlight the significance of examining how public policy can promote the excellence approach by conferring the specific statute of Associate Laboratory (AL) upon research organisations within Portugal's science and technology (S&T) system. The AL statute 1999 as a mark of distinction, was bestowed upon 26 S&T institutions between 2000 and 2011, following an evaluation of their research activities and strategic plans. This process resulted in the formation of a cadre of elite scientific institutions in Portugal – a core group that, in comparison with other research organisations, enjoyed greater administrative autonomy and a larger share of public funds. This, in turn, contributed to their elevated positions in rankings of researchers and publications.
Rather than relying on individual rankings, we emphasise the significance of rankings derived from evaluation processes and the role they play in shaping the S&T structure of a country, as well as the repercussions for the allocation of public funds dedicated to S&T. The selected timeframe is particularly important, marked by the launch of the public policy measure through the creation of the AL statute and the impact of the economic crisis of 2007–2008, with enduring effects in Portugal until 2011.
We adopted a mixed methods research design, integrating quantitative data analysis using the IPCTN – a national survey conducted by the national S&T funding agency – with a qualitative content analysis of 21 interviews with AL leaders. The analysis led us to assert that a public policy measure had favoured the distinction of a set of research organisations through the attribution of a specific statute. The conditions provided under this statute played a pivotal role in shaping the development of research activities, including the number and impact of scientific publications, networking and internationalisation.
