The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology highlighted today the importance of the tripartite structure of the University of the Azores "for the harmonious development of the Region."
 
Fausto Brito e Abreu spoke at the signing ceremony of the contract-programme amounting to 350 thousand Euros to support the tripartite structure of the University of the Azores. The government official stressed that, "throughout the years, there has been a close collaboration and the history of the University is closely linked to the history of the Region's autonomy."
 
For the Regional Secretary, the support the Government of the Azores has granted to University allows to o provided with physical infrastructures and human resources, whether though doctoral grants or post-doctoral grants. This "contributes to the prestige of the University of the Azores as well as to its ability to attract students and access independent sources of funding."
 
Fausto Brito e Abreu stressed that "the financing of the University of the Azores depends on the National Government of the Republic and has a direct reporting line to the Ministry of Higher Education." The government official added that the Regional Government will continue to support the University "with full respect for its autonomy" and continue "collaborating with the Azorean academy in order to convey its specificities to the National Government."
 
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the ceremony, the Regional Secretary explained that "this amount does not intend to provide a full response to the costing arising from its tripartite structure. According to him, the "Government of the Azores considers that the funding of the University of the Azores is a responsibility that falls under the National Government, but, being an institution of great relevance to the development of the Region, the Azorean Government provides a wide range of support."
 
"We have to be careful insofar as we cannot assume the responsibilities of the University and overburden Azorean taxpayers in the compliance of an obligation that is not exclusively ours," said the governmental official.
 
Asked about the continuity of the tripartite structure of the University of the Azores, Fausto Brito e Abreu said this is "not called into question." According to him, "it makes sense to have a multiple structure in an archipelago region such as the Azores, since it is more attractive to some audiences and, for that reason, the National Government does not have any intention to eliminate the university's tripartite structure."
 
The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology also stated that "if there were an emergency situation that required the Regional Government to allocate a higher sum, it would certainly be available to move forward. However, we now believe it is undesirable to take the place of the National Government, which is responsible for the financing of universities."