António Costa defended this position at the inauguration of the Innovation Center of the Instituto Superior Técnico, in a speech that followed that of Carlos Moedas, in which the mayor and former European commissioner pointed out that 54 technology companies have recently set up shop in Lisbon, 12 of which are unicorns' (with capital exceeding one billion US dollars).

At the end of the inauguration session of the new center, the Prime Minister went back to the times at the end of the Estado Novo regime, with former minister Veiga Simão, to talk about Portugal's first qualitative leap with the generalization of education. But, above all, he focused his intervention on the period of the socialist governments of António Guterres, with Mariano Gago and Marçal Grilo, respectively in the positions of Ministers of Science and Education between 1995 and 1999.

He then referred to a series of data on the evolution of qualifications in Portugal from 2000 to 2022, comparing indicators relating to the decline of students leaving full-time education, or the increase in young people with secondary education, with degrees, masters and doctorates.

“In 2000 there were 17 thousand researchers, but the country currently has more than 60 thousand”, he said, having his ministers of Science and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, of Economy, António Costa Silva, and of Territorial Cohesion, listen to him. in Abrunhosa, as well as the representative of the European Commission in Portugal, Sofia Moreira da Sousa.

Before an audience of many students, António Costa, who was involved in the launch of this new Superior Técnico Innovation Center in 2010, when he served as president of the Lisbon Chamber, assumed that there are currently “many reasons for concern” because of the wars in Europe and the Middle East, climate change, pandemics, inflation and rising interest rates.

“But if we look at the fundamentals, we have good reasons to be confident in the future. There was a structural change in the Portuguese economy when we overcame the qualifications deficit because there is no innovation without qualifications”, he maintained.

In a new compliment to the governments of António Guterres, of which he was part of, the Prime Minister stressed that Portugal's active population “has changed, because 28 years ago the sowing was launched that bears the fruits that Portugal has today” in terms of human resources.

In this context, he indicated that last year, “for the first time, national exports represented more than 50% of the Gross Domestic Product”.

“This qualified generation that we have in the job market is transforming companies today”, he stated, then highlighting, among other data, that the export of goods is currently higher than the export of services.

“This is what allows us to say that the economy is really changing”, he maintained.

During his talk, the Prime Minister also sought to deny that universities and companies are turned away, giving as a contrary example the adherence to the Mobilizing Agendas component of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).

“The Instituto Superior Técnico gives us an excellent example that this is not the case”, he pointed out.

In the first speech of the session, the president of Instituto Superior Técnico, Rogério Colaço, challenged the former student of this institution, now mayor of Lisbon, to install an 'Innovation District Center', following the example of what happens in several European cities, Asian and American cultures – a challenge that was soon accepted by Carlos Moedas.

Before, Carlos Moedas and António Costa unveiled a plaque alluding to the inauguration of the Innovation Center of the Instituto Superior Técnico and informed themselves about the technological innovation projects already underway at that center, such as mini satellites, Formula 1 type prototypes without a driver, gas cylinders hydrogen to power engines, as well as new drones.