Lisbon launch boosts Portuguese innovation potential for the low carbon economy
On 29 November in Lisbon, Climate-KIC announced the formation of a new consortium of partners to strengthen innovation capacity in Portugal.
The Portuguese initiative is part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS), which boosts the climate innovation engagement by European regions not formally within Climate-KIC’s geographic network.
Climate-KIC organisers were joined by speakers and participants from business, government, academia and the entrepreneurial community. Fernando Santana Director from Universidade Nova de Lisboa welcomed guests and introduced keynote speakers, including Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research & Innovation for the European Commission, José Carlos Calderia, President of Agência Nacional de Inovaçào, and Portuguese Minister for Environment, João Pedro Matos Fernandes.
Carlos Moedas said: “Our goal is to help regions and entrepreneurial companies and make the transition to clean energies. While simultaneously directing public funds and attracting private investment, we promote the creation of clean energy and support member states in the launching of new technologies and low-carbon solutions.
The 115 participants also took part in a round table discussion based on ‘boosting the Portuguese innovation potential for a low carbon economy’, moderated by Antonio Granado (FCSH/ Universidade NOVA de Lisboa). Later on, eight start-ups who participated in the Climate-KIC RIS accelerator in Portugal, presented three minute pitches to a panel of esteemed judges in cooperation with Building Global Innovators (BGI).
About EIT Regional Innovation Scheme
The EIT Regional Innovation Scheme is Climate-KIC’s outreach programme to increase the innovation capacity of European regions that don’t yet benefit directly for the EIT and its Knowledge Innovation Communities (KICs).
Since 2014, Climate-KIC has piloted activities in Estonia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia, focusing on professional education as a part of EIT RIS. The scheme has now widened to include more European regions in Serbia, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Bulgaria and Portugal. EIT RIS allows these regions to access Climate-KIC’s mobility funding to ensure that students, researchers, teaching staff and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to participate in the organisation’s activities around Europe.