BLC3 Association – Technology and Innovation Campus is a non-profit association, founded in May 2010 and started its activities in September 2011. Located in Oliveira do Hospital, it is the only entity in Portugal, created for the development and industrialization of Biorefineries (2nd and 3rd generation), Bioeconomy and Circular Economy (it won the prize for the best European project in the area of Circular Economy, attributed by European Commission).
BLC3 develops activities in terms of designing ideas for the Bioeconomy and Circular Economy, namely: i) investigation, Scale Up and technological demonstration with a focus on the dimensions (1) citizenship, (2) Territory and Nature-Based Solutions, (3) Energy and Environment and (4) Agrifood and Forestry; ii) transfer and valorization of knowledge; iii) support for the creation and acceleration of Start Ups, securing critical mass and young people; and iv) industrialization and Market Level.
Since the beginning of its activities, BLC3 has coordinated and promoted around 20.3 million euros of investment in R&I, in a total of 55 R&DT projects, resulting in the creation of a technical-scientific network composed of 75 entities from 12 European countries. From 2012 to 2020, it supported the creation and birth of 42 start ups (37 active) and involved more than 6000 children and young people in the activities of the Lab-i-DUCA program.
The CECOLAB Association – Collaborative Laboratory Towards Circular Economy is a private, non-profit institution based in Oliveira do Hospital in the Central region of Portugal. Founded in 2020, CECOLAB has in its genesis the process of recognition of the seal of excellence of the national initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, called CECOLAB. CECOLAB’s vision is to develop sustainable market solutions in a CIRCULAR ECONOMY model, for national strategic value chains, with a high impact on other value chains in the Portuguese economy. CECOLAB’s mission is to create scientific and highly qualified jobs and ensure and enhance the transfer of knowledge and technology to the market, ensuring a bridge between Academia and Companies.
CECOLAB is the coordinator of the scientific and research infrastructure network of national strategic interest for the Circular Economy: order no. 4157/2019, whose strategic competence was: “collective and concerted response, through initiatives that promote interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, including the development of the circular bioeconomy and biotechnology, as provided for in the National Reform Plan.
SANJOTEC is a Science and Technology Park, located in São João da Madeira, focused on supporting entrepreneurship and the acceleration of technological and creative projects. Positioned in a heavily industrial region, SANJOTEC has been creating a business ecosystem linked to Industry 4.0 and the development of new products, currently counting on a universe of 70 highly exporting business projects, whose turnover amounted to 61 M€ in 2020, representing 400 jobs in the region.
A strategic initiative of the Município de S. João da Madeira, in partnership with the Universidade de Aveiro, PortusPark, Centro Tecnológico do Calçado Portugal, Clube de Negócios, Faurecia and Cedintec, has been fundamental in increasing the competitiveness of the business fabric and in the connection to the S&T, promoting the diffusion of a culture of innovation.
Its mission is to contribute to the promotion and increase of productivity and competitiveness of the municipality and the region, by supporting the development and modernization of existing companies and the implementation of innovative business projects, playing a role of facilitator and dynamism in the approximation between the business fabric and the scientific community. It also aims to contribute to the promotion and increase of productivity and competitiveness of the municipality and the region, by supporting the development and modernization of existing companies and the implementation of innovative business projects.
Sines Tecnopolo, Association of Technologically Based Companies Incubation Center “Vasco da Gama” a non-profit associative project, assumes the mission of catalyzing and stimulating the Sines Ecosystem, which is a platform for interaction between large companies, SMEs, public administration, higher education institutions and other entities of the Scientific-Technological System. Additionally, contribute to the sustainable development of the Sines Ecosystem, in its multiple aspects, promoting the competitiveness of people and organizations, through their qualification, access to shared services and the operationalization of collaborative projects. It should also be noted that Sines Tecnopolo is BIC Alentejo, certified by the EBN (European Business & Innovation Center Network), the largest European entrepreneurship and innovation network.
The potential installed in the Sines Ecosystem in the domains of the sea, attributes, to this area, the natural condition of priority domains in the development strategy of Sines Tecnopolo. It is also important to underline that this is one of the strategic areas to which maximum importance is given in the Europe 2020 Strategy, both at European and national levels, with this strategic alignment being a decisive lever for the sustainable growth of Sines Tecnopolo.
