NDI – National Defence Institute

The Scientific Council of OBSERVARE unanimously decided, on September 10, 2021, to award the National Defence Institute (NDI) the prize for collective entities in the context of the IV International Conference, to be hold in Lisbon from November 23 to 26, 2021.
Its beginning can be dated back to 1967 and in its present form can be traced back to 1976, the NDI, having evolved in a very consistent way throughout its existence, fulfils today in a unique way, the important public service missions of supporting the formulation of national strategic thinking, ensuring the study, investigation and dissemination in the fields of Security and Defence.

To its essential mission and contributing to it in a very relevant way, the Institute adds a constant and always renewed action in the field of research of International Relations, which it conducts with high criteria in the intellectual and scientific areas.
In all these tasks, NDI puts a mark of unquestionable excellence and an attitude of complete and interested openness to partners and counterparts, both national and international.

In a world undergoing such accentuated and rapid change as the present one, the need for good monitoring and, desirably, for anticipating the development of the dynamics that can already be detected at present, is very high.
Also in these dimensions, linked to the imperative understanding of the current and prospective reality, the NDI requires good judgment, constant attention and the indispensable rigor, which justifies that, also from this perspective, its national contribution is of great value.

The National Defence Course, which, after a first experience in 1972, the NDI has been carrying out since 1979 and which constitutes its main reference activity, is both an informative and training activity, open to citizens from the public and private sectors, and in whose conduct highly recognized personalities in the different areas of knowledge collaborate, namely academics, diplomats, militaries and businessmen.
This course has generated the training in Portugal of a significantly broad group of people, with significant responsibilities in collective life and who in their performance benefit from the adjusted perspective received at the NDI, particularly in the fields of Security and Defence and International Relations, which is naturally important for all of Portugal.

However, NDI’s training activity goes further, and includes Courses with more specialized focuses, Courses for young people, Courses for members of the Media and actions aimed at reinforcing Citizenship training in terms of Security and Defence.

Giving materiality and promoting an even wider dissemination of the knowledge it produces and holds, the Institute also enhances Knowledge with a vast publishing activity.
In this context, the publication, uninterrupted since 1976, of the prestigious magazine Nação e Defesa (Nation and Defence) stands out.
It is also worth mentioning the dozens of works published in the Atena Collection and the useful and timely Cadernos do IDN.

UAL and OBSERVARE are proud to have the National Defence Institute as one of its main institutional partners, through the joint performance of multiple activities and by involving researchers in IDN’s training, editorial and reflection activities.
From this close and regular relationship, UAL and OBSERVARE derive great pleasure and a significant advantage.

Bearing in mind that the OBSERVARE awards are meant to recognize individual and collective persons who, by their action, constitute examples and sources of inspiration, it makes perfect sense, in the context of the IV International Congress in 2021, to award the OBSERVARE – Collective Persons prize to the National Defence Institute.

Lisbon, 26th November 2021