João Emílio Alves

The Impact of Polytechnic Institutes on the Local Economy.

Higher education institutions and, particularly, polytechnic institutes in Portugal are, generally speaking, recognized as the key stakeholders in regional development. However, due to the economic recession of recent years and the consequent budget constraints, higher education institutions more than ever need to demonstrate the social and cultural impact of their activities within their communities and their contribution to its economic development. The aim of this paper is to estimate the economic impact of a group of polytechnic institutes located in regions with diverse socio-economic characteristics using a common methodology. This common framework enables a comparative study and a better identification of the variables that differentiate the different regions, the respective polytechnics and their impacts.

Performance assessment of applied research in polytechnics: construction of a model

A model is presented to evaluate the performance of polytechnic institutions of higher education (PIHE) in Portugal with regard to applied research. The model, obtained from three case studies, is based on the construction of quantitative and qualitative indicators, the mission of these institutions, and the regional impact of their activities. It is organized according to three dimensions: inputs, outputs and impacts of applied research. This approach represents an innovative holistic perspective to evaluate the academic production of polytechnics. The inexistence of models of evaluation for this type of Portuguese higher education institutions raises challenges in terms of design, data collection and mode of functioning of the PIHE (financing, organization, etc.).