International Talents for Innovation: promoting international investment in innovation projects in Portugal

The event International Talents for Innovation sought to foster discussions and promote international investment in innovation projects in Portugal. Organised by the University of Coimbra (UC) in partnership with Empowered Startups, it brought together key stakeholders from Portugal's innovation ecosystem and international entrepreneurs investing in R&D&I (Research & Development & Innovation) projects in the country through the HQA programme, a mechanism designed to attract both international funding and experienced entrepreneurs to national innovation initiatives.

UC Rector Amílcar Falcão stated, "The UC has a strong track record in creating companies, particularly those that originate within the university and its research." In addition to encouraging investment in innovation projects, International Talents for Innovation also facilitates updating concepts and tools.. "The world evolves, things change, and we have witnessed a shift in how spin-offs emerge," he noted. Falcão also highlighted the partnership with Empowered Startups, saying, "It has helped us not only to create companies but also to secure funding for them." After nearly a year of collaboration, "we have ten new companies as a result of this protocol, which is a very positive outcome.

"This initiative is very important for the international visibility of the University of Coimbra," said Nuno Mendonça, UC Vice-Rector for Innovation, Business Relations, and Employability. He added that it is also "a valuable opportunity to promote researchers and their work, leading to more patents and lines of research while strengthening the university's scientific critical mass."

The HQA programme has already enabled the University of Coimbra to secure over €350,000 in funding for R&D projects with high potential for market success.

UC's Pro-Rector for Entrepreneurship, Gabriela Fernandes, believes it is important to publicise the programme "among our researchers and faculty so that they understand that they can use it to transfer their technology to the market". She adds: "Promoting networking between researchers and entrepreneurs may lead to new agreements, and that's what we're always looking for".

The event International Talents for Innovation took place on the 26th of February at Colégio da Trindade.