"We exceeded the €700 million and everything shows that, according to our forecasts, we will exceed the €1 billion in 2020," Moedas told reporters outside a plenary session of the Ciência’19 meeting, which runs until Wednesday in Lisbon.

This is "a huge victory for Portugal because few countries have managed to double the contribution of the European programme in the last five years," he said, showing that in 2014 there was €500 million.

Moedas said the country was able to reach these numbers with "a lot of extraordinary scientists" in Portugal.

The support is given "only to those who are the best [projects]," in a decision made by specialists, not politicians, and not by "geographic allocation,” he stressed.

"Scientists helped Portugal leave the second division, in which one looks at the structural funds and go to the competitive funds, this shows the leap Portugal has already taken."