Local: Auditorium Prof. Dr. José Marques Dos Santos
Date: Tuesday, July 01st, 2025 | 16h10-17h00
Chair: Miguel Madeira, Full Professor, LEPABE/ALiCE/FEUP
Lecturer: Margarida Isabel Mano Tavares Simões Lopes, Vice-Rector, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Margarida Mano
Vice-Rector, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Leadership at the Intersection of Academia, Policy, and Development: Bridging Knowledge to Impact Society
In the fast-paced world we live in, where uncertainty and unpredictability make context and its complexity more evident, solving society’s new (old) problems seems more challenging than ever. Yet, how is that so? It is true that the interconnections between problems are now clearer and denser. It’s also true that the development of new approaches is always slower than reality. But something new is the awareness that, more than ever, solutions must respond to seemingly contradictory tensions. How can one, by specializing, strive to gain more breadth and still be a generalist? In society, as in the markets, how can we create space for fantasy and creativity in a world of hierarchies? To what extent does critical freedom strengthen scientific or political leadership?
In this lecture, we will look at some ways of helping to balance these tensions. This is the case with knowledge and the role of academic freedom in its development. This is the case of interdisciplinarity and the potential for effective dialog between fields and experts. It’s the case of a liquid society where people, audiences, actors and influencers attract each other and move around. It’s the case of researchers who, with their knowledge, determine scientific impacts and drive real changes in society.
Biography
Margarida Mano with a PhD in Management from the University of Southampton, she is currently Vice-Rector for Continuous Improvement and Development at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and President of the Board of TI-Portugal, the Transparency and Integrity Association. She is also Chairwoman of the General Assembly of FORGES (https://aforges.org/) and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Order of Engineers. Minister of Education and Science in the XX Government of the Republic (2015) and Member of the Portuguese Parliament, in the XIII Legislature, with responsibilities in the areas of Education, Higher Education, Science, Culture, Communication, Youth and Sport, and represented the Portuguese Parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, where she chaired the Committee on Economy, Finance, Social Affairs and Education. She has been Vice-Rector of the Portuguese Catholic University since 2020. Until 2015 has held management positions in Banking and at the University of Coimbra as Vice-Rector, Pro-Rector and Administrator. Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra since 1986 in the areas of Economics and Management. Strategic Management (prospective analysis, scenario), Change Management, Quality and Governance Models stand out as areas of scientific interest.