By 2006, the Globelics PhD Academy in Lisbon had developed into an established international meeting place for doctoral researchers studying innovation and economic development. As the third edition of the initiative, it continued the work begun in 2004 while reinforcing the Academy’s role as a bridge between emerging scholars and the wider international research community associated with Globelics.
The central purpose of the Academy was to support PhD students working on issues connected with innovation and development, particularly by providing access to leading research and opportunities to discuss their own doctoral projects. The Globelics Academy model sought to bring researchers from developing countries into closer contact with established innovation scholars and high-quality research networks. This combination of training and network building was intended to improve individual doctoral research while also strengthening research communities across regions.
The 2006 edition continued to place innovation systems at the center of discussions while allowing participants to examine related questions concerning technological capabilities, institutions, learning processes and economic transformation. Rather than treating innovation simply as the introduction of new technologies, the Globelics perspective emphasized the interactions among firms, universities, research organizations, governments and other institutions involved in creating, adapting and circulating knowledge. This provided doctoral students with a framework for examining why innovation processes differ considerably across countries and regions.
Evidence from participants confirms the international and doctoral character of the program. Joana Mendonça, for example, records her participation in the May 2006 Globelics Academy in Lisbon, identifying it as the “3rd PhD School on Innovation and Economic Development.” The Lisbon editions were organized through collaboration between IN+ at Instituto Superior Técnico and ISEG at the Technical University of Lisbon, with Rui Baptista and Manuel Mira Godinho involved in local coordination. This institutional collaboration provided a base from which Globelics could connect its international network with doctoral education.
An important contribution of the 2006 Academy was the continuation of an environment centered on interactive learning. Doctoral researchers were not simply recipients of established knowledge; their research experiences and the economic contexts they studied contributed to wider discussions about innovation and development. This exchange was particularly valuable for a network seeking to understand innovation beyond the experiences of advanced economies.
The third Lisbon Academy therefore represented both continuity and consolidation. By maintaining a dedicated forum for doctoral research, international exchange and critical discussion, the 2006 edition contributed to building a community of researchers capable of developing innovation studies through a wider range of geographical, institutional and developmental perspectives.