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Rodrigo Martins: "You cannot do science if you have to be thinking about the rent"Photo by jarmoluk on Pexels
Science

Rodrigo Martins: "You cannot do science if you have to be thinking about the rent"

Público15 September 2026 at 07:24

Rodrigo Martins, electrical engineer, celebrated his retirement day with a reflection on his professional journey and the current state of research and innovation in Portugal. The title of the interview, which quotes one of his statements about the impossibility of doing science when worried about the rent, indicates that the economic conditions of researchers will be one of the topics addressed.

The interview serves as a review of a career dedicated to research and higher education. Rodrigo Martins uses the occasion of his retirement to take a critical look at the sector to which he dedicated a large part of his professional life.

The article also indicates that the conversation with the electrical engineer was not limited to his individual journey, encompassing a broader analysis of the current landscape of science and research in Portugal.

Why this matters

This retirement of a researcher with extensive experience in Portuguese higher education offers a portrait of the difficulties faced by the national scientific community. Martins's warning about the incompatibility between research and immediate economic pressures directly concerns researchers, university students, and policymakers, underscoring the need for policies that ensure dignified conditions for those dedicated to science in Portugal.

About this summary

This is our short summary of a report published by Público on 15 September 2026 at 07:24; the full text stays with the publisher. In our feed it sits under Science. We currently carry 4639 items in that section.

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