President of the Republic and Grand Duke of Luxembourg visit UPTEC
President of the Republic and Grand Duke of Luxembourg visit UPTEC
On 6 March, UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, was visited by the Grand Duke Henry of Luxembourg and the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Accompanied by the Luxembourg Ambassador to Portugal, Martine Schommer, and the Rector of the University of Porto, António de Sousa Pereira, the heads of state had the opportunity to get to know the UPTEC ecosystem.
After a presentation by Maria Oliveira, UPTEC’s Executive Director, startups LOSCH DIGITAL LAB and NIUM, both from Luxembourg, shared their business projects and main distinctions with the guests.
NIUM, a spin-off from the University of Luxembourg, is developing a cutting-edge technological platform for modelling gastrointestinal metabolism with various applications. The company is committed to advancing metabolic analysis through a platform that integrates computational and experimental modelling, taking advantage of biological data – especially the gut microbiome – to comprehensively assess the impact of specific ingredients or foods on metabolism.
LOSCH DIGITAL LAB specialises in software development, data analysis and the acceleration of new technologies in the automotive retail sector. Addressing change in this industry through continuous digitalisation, electrification and car sharing or autonomous cars, LOSCH was founded in 2017 as a Portuguese subsidiary of the Luxembourg company.
Before visiting UPTEC, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Marcelo de Rebelo de Sousa visited the Aristides de Sousa Mendes Museum, which recently opened to the public after a refurbishment project led by the Rosmaninho+Azevedo architecture studio, also located at UPTEC.
“This visit allowed us to understand how we support these companies in different sectors, from technology, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, but also the creative and cultural industries”, explains Maria Oliveira. “Our purpose (…) is very much linked to these companies that we are seeing today. UPTEC’s mission is to try to position these projects so that they can grow, generate employment, generate economic development for our region and also for the country, and from there make a positive contribution to society”.
In 2024, UPTEC supported more than 200 business projects, where more than 2,300 people of 44 nationalities worked.
March 12, 2025