On September 8th, the first edition of Tech Foundry Portugal – Deep Tech Edition kicks off, a national acceleration program that features 31 scientific and technological projects. This is an initiative promoted by Startup Portugal, in partnership with Hello Tomorrow and Porto Business School, which aims to accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological knowledge developed in Portugal into solutions with market potential.
A total of 98 projects from across the country applied, with only 31 selected. Of these 31, six are in the health sector, six in biotechnology and five in artificial intelligence, alongside five projects linked to climate and energy transition. There are also projects in the areas of advanced materials and nanotechnology, dual-use technologies, robotics and autonomous systems, space and aeronautics.
For three months, the teams will benefit from intensive acceleration in the areas of technological validation, business models, market preparation and access to investors and business partners. The projects will have access to the global Hello Tomorrow network, which will allow them to tap into an international community of more than 5000 startups and around 1300 investors specialized in deep tech.
João Rui Ferreira, Secretary of State for the Economy, says this program is important and should contribute to promoting a broader cultural change in Portuguese universities and research institutions, encouraging scientists, faculty and students to view the market not as a departure from the scientific mission, but as one of the ways through which science can serve society.
