The Regional Director for Science and Technology stated in Ponta Delgada that the Regional Government has been reinforcing its commitment to link science and Academia to society through the implementation of new rules on lines of funding. According to them, "all events supported by the Government must have a component focused on society."
 
Bruno Pacheco spoke at the opening session of the 13th International Conference "CONTROL 2018." On the occasion, he pointed out that it was precisely for this purpose that the Azorean Government promoted the organisation of "23 scientific meetings in 2017, the majority of which focused on the University of the Azores. For this year, the estimates point of similar number of meetings and a global investment over 100 thousand Euros."
 
The Regional Director emphasised that "the Azorean Government has insisted on the opening of financing lines for the organisation of scientific meetings and congresses based on this approach. It considers them fundamental, being key moments to create dynamics, share knowledge and draw attention to a specific theme," ensuring that the coordination among science, academia and society is effective.
 
The "CONTROL 2018" conference is part of a series of international conferences promoted by APCA - Portuguese Association of Automatic Control and runs until Wednesday. It aims to promote scientific culture and the development of technological capabilities worldwide in the fields of Automatic Control, Automation and Soft-Computing.
 
This meeting also intends to disseminate knowledge in these areas using emerging technologies and, in this context, the Regional Government has been channelling its investments to these areas.
 
This conference brings together engineers, professors, researchers, students and professionals, making up about 120 participants from different countries on three continents. The event was praised by the Regional Director for Science and Technology, who considered that "it includes a series of initiatives specifically targeted at companies, schools and science centres, among others." Hence, it meets the strategic lines set by Azorean Government in terms of scientific and technological dissemination.