“I consider the hospital to be only a vestibule to scientific medicine, as the first field of observation in which the doctor should enter; but the true sanctuary of scientific medicine is the laboratory."
Claude Bernard (1813-1878)

In a society in which knowledge, science and technology walk hand in hand, it is up to universities to promote training and qualification, as well as the development of the scientific and technological system, to promote synergies between teaching and research essential for a scientific culture.

Considering scientific research as one of the components of medical education, the FMUL has developed several different initiatives with the aim of stimulating contact with and the practice of research activities by its undergraduate students. The aim is for the students to widen their skills in the formulation of concise hypotheses, in objective and rigorous analysis of facts and in critical spirit as to conclusions. These skills, which are indispensable for the practice of scientific research, are equally relevant for medical practice. So it is considered that, independently of continuity or not of research activities when in clinical activity, early exposure to scientific research is a great advantage in the preparation of the future doctor.

The FMUL student thus has at their disposal a set of tools, some integrated within the curriculum, such as Laboratory Research Training Courses, Pedagogical Initiation, Clinical Laboratory Research, Clinical Research and Research in the Community, and others that go beyond the curriculum, like the “Education through Science” programme.

The “Education through Science” programme, run by the GAPIC, started in 1996 through an initiative by Professor David Ferreira, then coordinator of the bureau. This programme has allowed students to participate directly in the drawing up and implementation of laboratory or clinical research projects, integrated within a research team thus providing guidance and stimulus for the student to carry out his/her project. The projects have a duration over one year, with it being possible to organise the calendar in specific periods during the academic period or to be spaced out over time according to the availability of the student and the tutor and the characteristics of the project.

The aims of this project are to make it possible for the students to have active and direct contact with the scientific method, to promote the objective drawing up of a scientific project, to guarantee the quality, rigour and critical spirit necessary to carry it out, to promote the adequate management of resources, and also to stimulate its divulgation and public discussion of the results in an annual workshop organized by the GAPIC for this their purpose.

The “Education through Science” programme does not intend to reach a large number of students each year. What is does intend is to create the conditions for very motivated students to be able to carry out a research project over a year period. This does not overlap other initiatives by the FMUL to motivate scientific research, as it has different temporal and material settings. We are aware of the limitations in terms of time that students have, which is inherent to a curricular component that has to be completed and cannot be neglected. We are thus aware of the energy and motivation needed for the student to be able to succeed and we provide guidance for them to overcome these limitations, making, albeit temporarily, a commitment to necessarily time-absorbing scientific research, not to be considered as a hobby that one does occasionally in one’s free time.

In its eleven years the “Education through Science” programme has been held 167 projects which were financed out of the 184 submitted, involving about 272 students distributed throughout the second to sixth years, which were carried out in thirty Research Units; the overall finance commitment was €394,991.88, which corresponds to an average financing per project of €2,365.22 (Graph available at: http://www.fm.ul.pt/FMLPortal/UserFiles/File/GAPIC/Grafico_Geral.pdf).

These numbers show the active commitment undertaken by the managing bodies of the FMUL, its research units, its teachers, its research assistants and its students on the programme.

The “Education through Science” programme has been subjected to annual evaluation both by students and teachers, and the favourable opinions are clear; from the students because they have received experience and training in the research area, and from tutors because they have had the opportunity to stimulate the practice of research among younger people.

A study carried out by the GAPIC on the impact of the participation of the (ex) students on the “Education through Science” programme also showed a positive analysis. For most of the 53 people who responded, the main reasons or motivations for participating in the programme was to obtain experience in the research field (67.9%) and being curious about the practice of research (64.2%). They considered that their participation above all allowed them to develop the capacity to conceive and carry out experiments and to analyse the respective results (96.2%), to acquire new knowledge (94.3%) and obtain training on the level of research (92.5%). It should be stressed that 34% of those questioned continued to carry out research and development activities, most of them have presented scientific papers (66.7%) and published scientific articles (33.3%). As to their expectations, the vast majority of the (ex) students questions intends to carry out research activity (94.3%), to have the possibility of maintaining some form of connection to higher education institutions or state laboratories (92.5%), to continue to participate in scientific congresses and encounters (92.5%), as well as in training courses in the field of research (92.5%).

These data indicate how well the students accept the incentives towards scientific research on the undergraduate level. The FMUL, through initiatives like the “Education through Science” programme, will continue to promote a scientific culture in its students, “our” future doctors, teachers and researchers.

Sónia Barroso, GAPIC, (+351) 217999420, sbarroso@fm.ul.pt
Ana Sebastião, GAPIC, (+351) 217999420, anaseb@fm.ul.pt