Incentive system support: Support System for Collective Actions - Promotion of Entrepreneurship

Operational Programme: POCI-03-33B5-FSE-072656

Main Goal: Within the framework of a collective and integrated action and promoted by the consortium consisting of PORTUSPARK and the ISQ, the “Portugal Empreende 4.0” project has been set up as a collective action aimed at strengthening cooperation, partnerships and support networks for qualified and creative entrepreneurship. It also aims to provide support for the generation of innovative ideas and business initiatives leading to the creation of new companies geared towards the global market, namely in strategic domains of the RIS 3 regional strategy for smart specialisation.

Beneficiaries:

APCTP/PortusPark – Associação do Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia do Porto (Porto Science and Technology Park Association)

ISQ – Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade

Date of Approval: March 2021

Start Date: 1 April 2021

Date of Completion: 30 June 2023

Total Eligible Cost: 537,362.39 euros

Financial support from the European Union: 456,758.03 euros

Description and goals of the project:

The overall and strategic goal of the Portugal Empreende 4.0 project is to promote entrepreneurial spirit in technological, qualified and creative entrepreneurship. The aim is to achieve this by stimulating, training and raising awareness in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, in an effort to boost the emergence of new entrepreneurs and businesses. This would lead to the creation and development of new technology-based and knowledge-intensive companies, with strong competitive and internationalisation potential, closely linked to the ability to economically exploit scientific and technological knowledge existing in society. This would come in addition to research and development processes for new or significantly improved products and processes that translate into innovation and sustainability of competitive advantages, and that promote innovative responses to social and societal challenges, directly targeting social support and/or positive externalities with a social impact on improving community well-being.

1. The action plan for this project aims to implement a structuring project to provide support for entrepreneurship, in an integrated manner, in Portugal’s Norte, Centro and Alentejo regions. Promoted in synergy by the consortium consisting of PORTUSPARK and the ISQ, it involves science and technology infrastructures, incubation facilities and other entities in the entrepreneurship-boosting ecosystem. Initiatives include: training and mentoring supported by non-instructional actions; detecting, stimulating and supporting entrepreneurship; training for business initiatives and the creation of new companies; and mentoring and coaching initiatives to support the development, incubation and acceleration of innovative ideas, spin-offs and start-ups.
2. Portugal Empreende 4.0 is a structuring project consisting of four actions comprising nine activities:

1. PROMOTE entrepreneurship, technology and new industry

The aim here is to extensively promote cultural change in favour of innovation, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial spirit as a permanent attitude throughout life. This would foster a spirit of initiative and reduce risk aversion and the stigma of failure and lack of achievement, through informal and disruptive initiatives. These would include raising young students’ awareness as to the attractiveness of technology and new industry, immersion in the business environment and visits to business ecosystems.

2. CREATE, provoke, stimulate and detect ideas and talents with business potential

This action aims to boost initiatives and activities that encourage the detection and stimulation of talent by carrying out initiatives to promote an entrepreneurial, creative and innovative culture and training for entrepreneurship in essential topics. This would boost participants’ entrepreneurial spirit and prepare them for the structuring of businesses, based on technological and innovative approaches that awaken the minds of talented individuals to new projects with business potential. This would include training actions in the areas of innovation, financing and soft skills, and training in areas associated with new industry and emerging technologies, the development of ideas competitions and the selection of projects with a view to creating companies.

3. CONSOLIDATE, incubate and enable projects with business potential and start-ups

This action aims to boost initiatives, activities and support services for entrepreneurship, training for business initiatives and the implementation of new companies (start-ups). It would include access to incubation infrastructure, specialised support services, technological training and the potential financing of innovative projects, achieved by providing access and bringing networks and communities of practice closer to RD&I centres, investors, business angels and venture capital.

4. COMMUNICATE AND MANAGE

This action aims to bring a talented, dynamic, competent and enterprising team to the project to help carry it through to fruition.