Celebration of 15 years of innovation at UPTEC
Celebration of 15 years of innovation at UPTEC
The June 20 festivities included a protocol ceremony, a showroom for businesses incubated at UPTEC and a concert by EU.CLIDES
The celebrations of the 15th anniversary of UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto reached their high point on the 20th of June, at UPTEC Asprela I, with the presentation ceremony of the economic impact study for the year 2021, and with the concert by the Portuguese singer EU.CLIDES, which ended, with a golden key, 15 events held between October 2022 and June of this year.
The initiative 15 years. 15 events included startup shows, artistic exhibitions, corporate volunteering, sessions on investment and talent, debates on ESG (environment, social and governance), innovation ecosystem meetups or conversations on Diversity and Inclusion, among others.
The opening honors of the protocol ceremony went to the Rector of the University of Porto (U.Porto), António Sousa Pereira, who, in front of a full audience, was satisfied with the successive accomplishment of one of the main missions of the U.Porto, the economic and social enhancement of knowledge. “UPTEC is one of the most important socio-economic development mechanisms in the metropolitan area of Porto, the North and the country. It constitutes the nerve center of the University of Porto’s strategy, innovation and service to society. It is a fundamental structure in the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation among members of the academic community, providing conditions for incubating startups, supporting technology transfer and creating value for companies through research, development and innovation services. Here, entrepreneurs find support to transform their ideas into solid business projects.”
Then, it was the turn of the vice-president of the Municipality of Porto, Filipe Araújo, who emphasized the role that UPTEC has in the dynamism and attraction of talent for the city. “Thanks to UPTEC, many young people were able to apply their knowledge in entrepreneurial projects, many startups accelerated and gained scale and competitiveness, many qualified and lasting jobs were created, a lot of talent, a lot of capital and technology settled in the city. UPTEC is driving what is the transition of the business fabric of Porto, and of the northern region, towards a knowledge economy, a transition that stems from the growth of business activities linked to value-added sectors, intensive in innovation and with a technological profile.”
Joana Resende, President of UPTEC and vice-rector of the University of Porto, addressed the importance of what has already been achieved in the past, and the present and future potential of the institution. “UPTEC has the intention of working towards constantly feeding this entrepreneurial community. It makes me proud to meet highly successful entrepreneurs who fondly remember the days at UPTEC. How important was the passage through our Science and Technology Park and the permanent availability to collaborate. “The talent that we have in this innovation district, in this 1km2 radius, full of students, teachers, researchers, innovation structures is a competitive advantage that we must know how to recognise, nurture and value.”
In the final speech of the ceremony, UPTEC’s business director, Maria Moura Oliveira, presented the data relating to the economic impact study, which demonstrate the institution’s weight in the Portuguese economy, followed by a showroom with five examples of businesses incubated at UPTEC, namely Agit, AgroGrin Tech, ByAR, Eptune Engineering and DigestAID, who presented their ideas to the guests present.
After the first phase of the festivities, there was a concert by EU.CLIDES, a Portuguese musician who gave a free show open to the public, opening the doors of the cradle of innovation to the city. In front of an audience that danced to the music of one of the emerging talents of Portuguese music, the garden of UPTEC Asprela I was invaded by good feelings at that time of concert.
UPTEC: 15 years innovating
Founded in 2007, UPTEC has been fostering over the last 15 years the creation and development of business projects in the areas of arts, sciences and technologies and has hosted innovation centers for national and international companies.
Since its creation, UPTEC has already supported more than 700 business projects, graduated 98 companies and contributed to the direct creation of more than 3600 new jobs, 86% of which are highly qualified.