Abstract
This paper investigates the potential impact of increased R&D efforts and structural change in Portugal on labour productivity. Based on existing literature on the relation between R&D expenditures, structural change and productivity, we evaluate the contribution of R&D and hightech industries to productivity over the last 30 years. Our results confirm the importance of business R&D in the medium to high-tech sectors and of public R&D, as they stimulate productivity growth. However, we cannot support the hypothosis that productivity growth was primarily rooted in the development of medium-high technology industries.

Abstract
In a group setting, the exposure to different thinking styles and people promotes what is called creative abrasion, which, if properly managed, can greatly enhance the Innovation potential. This is the philosophy behind MIETE, which was conceived in 2004 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship with multidisciplinary teams. With this in mind, MIETE aims at adapting itself to the profiles of candidates from different areas including, amongst others, Management, Engineering, Biotechnology, Sciences and Design. In this paper the authors, report their experiences during the feedback sessions of the last two years with MIETE students, particularly in the 'Implementation and Strategies for Technology Comercialisation' workshops.

Abstract
Virtual Worlds are designed for sociability, environments where people have interaction with other people. Enterprises have already started exploring this new world as a way to provide a compelling new value proposition to their products and services. This paper makes a proposal for addressing the issue of interoperability between virtual and real-world business environments as a way to foster value creation opportunities as the virtual and real world interact with each other. To this end, the authors propose the Integration of 2nd Life object behaviour modelling within the actual Enterprise Engineering Life-Cycle in order to achieve a seamless enactment of both interoperable models in the virtual and real world. We believe therefore that our approach can bring value to most interaction types, especially in integration of the consumer in the value network and in strengthening the relationship between the consumer and the actual physical product. It is our believe that this will foster new opportunities for value creation, both in the interaction between the enterprises (including different segments of the network value chain) and in the interaction between these and actual the product or service consumer. © 2008 Nottingham University.

Abstract
As innovation is essential for the competitiveness of enterprises and economic development there is a question which has been raised with some insistence: Do teaching practices make a difference to innovation and entrepreneurship in the work place? Experts were contacted for their views. They say yes, as long as the teaching method is adequate. So, in the USA, a naturally innovative society, a new concept of integrated teaching was developed - "hands-on" to increase innovation ever more in North America. This concept proved also to be successful in a non-innovative society as is demonstrated by the case of MIETE (a partnership between FEUP and FEP, University of Porto) in Portugal.

Abstract

Abstract
Structural change analysis has an important tradition in economic theory. However, up to the present date, no attempt had been made to provide an overall survey on the matter. This paper aims to fill this gap. To this end, bibliometric methods were applied, combining 9703 citations from the area's 'seed journal' with a review of 910 abstracts of all theoretical and empirical articles on structural change that were published over the past 40 years in the journals indexed in the Econlit. We testify the recent rise of interest in structural change where technological issues gained increasing relevance. The 1990s witnessed a spurt in formal work, but more recently such trend was not confirmed; on the contrary, there has been a strong impetus towards empirically led work. Our analysis further reveals that most contributions put great emphasis on technology-driven growth and lack an appropriate treatment of the demand side.