Elvira Fortunato and Rodrigo Martins invented, in 2016, a paper transistor
The rector of Universidade Nova de Lisboa decided to temporarily freeze all requests for accumulation of functions, after an inspection concluded that there had been a violation of the teaching exclusivity regime. Former minister Elvira Fortunato rejects having committed illegalities.
All functions accumulation requests are “temporarily frozen until the clarification of the applicable legal framework and review of internal procedures”, announced this Friday the rector of Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Paulo Pereira.
UNL determined “to carry out an audit of the participating associations that are on the university’s external perimeter, to investigate possible situations that could constitute non-compliance with the law or the university’s internal regulations”, added the rector, in a note sent to Lusa.
At issue, according to UNL, is a report on an action by the General Inspectorate of Education and Science (IGEC), triggered by an anonymous tipwhat a visa 31 professors from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT) which, between 2020 and 2024, accumulated salary with remunerations arising from the exercise of functions at Uninova – Institute for the Development of New Technologies,
According to the newspaper, among the teachers who will have accumulated their remuneration with that of Uninova, a private non-profit association based on the FCT campus, in Almada, and participated by UNL, will be the former minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato.
“These remunerations would be associated with research projectsscientific research financed by international agencies and organizations”, says, without mentioning values, UNL, which cites the IGEC report.
UNL adds that, “despite the existence, since 2006, of a collaboration protocol between Uninova and FCT, which served as the basis for financing the activities in question, IGEC considers that This framework does not invalidate the application of the exclusivity of teachersreaffirming that any additional remuneration must be previously authorized and processed through the university”.
According to Sol, among the teachers who violated the exclusivity regime and received thousands of euros illegally is, in addition to the former minister, who performed these functions between 2022 and 2024, in the third socialist Government of António Costa, also her husband, Rodrigo Martins.
In a presentation sent to Lusa, Elvira Fortunato, vice-rector of UNL between 2017 and 2022, refuted any illegalityclaiming that the collaboration between FCT teachers and researchers and Uninova “results from a formal protocol and legally approved by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
The protocol in question “does not imply the loss of exclusive dedication regime and is fully in accordance with current legislation”, including the statute of the university teaching career and the university regulations, maintains the former minister.
According to the researcher, who together with her husband, is responsible for , “this protocol, similar to others existing in other Portuguese and European universities, aims to promote participation in competitive research and innovation projects, financed solely by international funds, no charges to the public treasury“.
“The compensations awarded within the scope of these projects correspond to legally provided additional remunerationrecognized by Universidade Nova itself, and do not constitute any violation of the exclusivity regime”, maintains Elvira Fortunato.
Without mentioning amounts, the former ruler adds that, while she was minister, suspended “all academic functions” and did not receive “any remuneration related to the protocol” of collaboration between Uninova and the UNL Faculty of Science and Technology.
UNL told Lusa that, following the IGEC report, received on October 20th and sent to the Court of Auditors and the director of the faculty, the rector determined the creation of the Integrity Office and Institutional Compliance to “strengthen mechanisms for preventing and controlling conflicts of interest”.
At the time of the facts analyzed by IGEC, Paulo Pereira was not yet rector from UNL. The investigator took office on October 7th, succeeding João Sàáguanow president of the Higher Education Assessment and Accreditation Agency, who was at the university he directed.
The Universidade Nova de Lisboa guarantees that “is analyzing the conclusions and recommendations from IGEC” and that “it will always act to ensure compliance with the law and to ensure that all organic units comply with the university’s internal regulations”.
According to Sol, the former minister, her husband and all the other teachers targeted “will have to return to the university the amounts that were paid extra for the duty of exclusive dedication for the last five years”.
Quoted by the weekly, the director of FCT at UNL, José Júlio Ensignstated that “the question that arises is whether these teachers whether or not they had to ask for authorization prior to participating” in scientific research projects “if they have exclusive dedication”.
