IPN.ECOA Expansão, COnsolidação, Adaptação

The main objective of the IPN.ECOA is to expand and adapt the IPN’s areas dedicated to applied research and technology transfer to new uses and requirements. The aim is to create conditions that allow the consolidation of ongoing activities, making them more closely aligned with the needs of the business sector, mobilising the available skills, enhanced by the strong potential to draw on an extensive network of researchers, particularly from theUniversidade de Coimbra.
This project was approved under Notice CENTRO-46-2018-14: Support Measure for the Region’s Technological Infrastructures, funded by the Centro Regional Operational Programme – CENTRO2020.

Objectives

Promote higher technological intensity of Portuguese companies, enabling them to compete more effectively in international markets.
The new types of spaces, the adaptation of facilities, and the acquisition of new equipment will allow greater capacity to support companies through the enhancement of service provision.

Increase the transfer, valorisation, and exploitation of scientific and technological knowledge originating from the SCTN.
Strengthen the capacity to develop and disseminate assets, interacting effectively with the business community and creating conditions for the systematic exposure of prototypes and technological assets.

Increase the technological intensity of high-tech spin-offs.
Reinforce support for the technological development of startups, particularly for the IPN Incubator and Accelerator, through the creation of improved conditions to respond to their requests.

Strengthen IPN’s positioning in the technological areas of the Circular Economy, Energy Efficiency, and Digital Transformation of the Economy.
Creation of appropriate spaces, allowing a more effective response to the challenges posed by the sectors in which IPN operates.

Activities

Fitting out of the new building

Construction and fitting-out of a new building to host an “Advanced Technology Development Centre”, covering multidisciplinary and interconnected fields, with a focus on emerging technologies. The building will be designed to support R&D and technology transfer activities at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 to 7, centred on the technological domains of the various IPN units, while focusing on the priority areas of the Circular Economy, Energy Efficiency, and Digital Transformation of the Economy, and accommodating a new coordinating unit aimed at mobilising existing expertise for more effective action in these three areas.

FIT-OUT OF BUILDINGS A AND B AND UPGRADE OF LABORATORY AND IT EQUIPMENT

  • Refurbishment of selected rooms in Buildings A and B to optimise their functionality
  • Intervention at the infrastructure level, including equipment replacement, ensuring facility safety, and compliance with laboratory requirements
  • Acquisition of laboratory equipment for the replacement and/or expansion of activities

Enhancement of Infrastructure Outreach

Creating opportunities to promote the IPN’s capabilities and expertise and to expand its network of national and international partners.

RESULTS ACHIEVED

Strengthening and building new capabilities in its laboratories:

  • LED&MAT: The establishment of a new Polymers Innovation Unit, a new Tribology Unit, and a new Microfabrication/Powder Technology Unit
  • LAS: Spaces and equipment for the development, testing, and support of medical device certification in accordance with ISO 13485, enabling the development of hardware, firmware, and software for various sectors, particularly in the medical and lifelong care fields
  • FITOLAB: Enhancement of spaces and equipment for conducting assays to detect harmful plant bacteria and viruses
  • Increase of the response capacity of LABGEO and LIS, the latter particularly in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, User Interface, Networks, and Cybersecurity, and, in coordination with LAS and LED&MAT, in the field of Industry 4.0.

Project Reference

CENTRO-01-0246-FEDER-000033

Funding

Intervention Region

Centro

Total investment

4.703.521,17 €

Total Eligible

4.701.081,17 €

EU Financial Support – Total

3.995.919,00 € (FEDER)

Duration

47,5 meses

Start Date

2019-11-01

end date

2023-10-15

date of approval

2019-12-20

keywords

Applied Research
Technology Transfer
Reinforcement and Adaptation
Applied Innovation