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Focus on Portugal

Facts and figures, life scientists in Portugal, EMBO opportunities

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Portugal joined the EMBC as a member state in 1994. Life scientists in Portugal are eligible for all EMBO Programmes supporting life scientists in Europe and beyond.

 

Facts and figures

The Portuguese Republic comprises an area of more than 92,000 square kilometres on the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula bordering Spain and the Atlantic, and two autonomous regions in the Atlantic: the archipelagos of Madeira and Azores.1

Portugal has 36 universities5 including the University of Coimbra established in 1290 and considered one of Europe’s oldest universities. More than 448,235 students were enrolled in tertiary education in 2023-24.2

Gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) rose almost 10% from 2023 to 2024 to reach 4,523 million euros, increasing as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product from 1.67% to 1.69%. The main sectors financing GERD were business enterprise providing 56.6%, and the government sector (33.2%). In 2024, an estimated 79,257 people in Portugal were employed in R&D work.6

The European Patent Office granted 148 patents with first patentees residing in Portugal in 2024.7

Public research funding in Portugal is provided through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) which is the national public agency supporting research in all areas of science, technology and innovation. Portuguese researchers are also eligible for funding through Horizon Europe projects, European Research Council grants, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions as well as EMBO.

Population: 10.8 million 2
R&D spending: 1.69% 6
People employed in R&D: 79,257 6
Patents (European Patent Office): 148 7
Universities: 36 5
Students enrolled in tertiary education: 448,2352
Horizon Europe funding:10
  • 3,392 organizations including 649 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

  • 69 ERC principal investigators

  • 601 researchers funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

All life scientists in Portugal are eligible for the EMBO Programmes supporting life scientists in Europe and beyond.

Find out about all EMBO funding schemes here.

Click to expand

All information as of September 2025.

References

  1. Portuguese Government
  2. Statistics Portugal
  3. Portuguese minister of finance Mario Centeno, speech to the Center for European Studies, Harvard University 18 March 2018
  4. Portugal Economic Snapshot, OECD, June 2023
  5. Directorate General of Higher Education, Portugal
  6. OECD main science & technology indicators
  7. European Patent Office, patent index 2024
  8. Foundation for Science and Technology
  9. European Commission
  10. European Commission

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