IPN - Instituto Pedro Nunes - Coimbra Tech Challenge Reinforces Coimbra's Status as a Global Hub for Innovation

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The Coimbra Tech Challenge (CTC), an innovative national programme that took place from 19 to 23 October in Coimbra, ended with enormous success, consolidating the city as a competitive centre of excellence for innovation, deep tech, entrepreneurship and international creativity.

The event was organised by the Coimbra Municipal Council (CMC), Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) and the American company Impact. It was supported by leading national companies such as Brisa, Visabeira, Morais Leitão, Noesis, NOS, Santander and Semapa, which covered the expenses of the invited start-ups. It achieved its goal of strengthening the local innovation ecosystem, attracting talent and positioning Coimbra as an international technology hub.

The CTC has established itself as a strategic meeting point, aiming to attract and retain promising international start-ups in the European Union, positioning Coimbra as their gateway and preferred location for development.

Every year, thousands of start-ups enter the European Union to gain better access to the huge European market. The aim is for Coimbra to become a reference point and be chosen by some of them. In this first edition, particular attention was paid to Israel, the country with the highest density of innovative start-ups in the world, from where, every year, countless companies leave to set up in different European countries. The next edition is expected to focus on India.

This event also represents a fundamental paradigm shift in the strategy of attracting international companies to the city. Historically, the establishment of new companies in Coimbra was based on a reactive logic, in which institutions responded to companies that took the initiative to contact them. With the CTC, this model is reversed, adopting a proactive approach to identifying and attracting international and innovative companies that fit into the local ecosystem and are invited to consider setting up in the city.

The format adopted for the CTC follows the intensive immersion model that has been the hallmark of dozens of ideation and acceleration events held by IPN. In this proven methodology, selected companies and projects work intensively in private, focused sessions, ensuring direct and continuous contact with a network of specialised mentors and alumni companies from IPN programmes. This approach of immersion and personalised mentoring is crucial, as it allows for immediate feedback and the co-creation of strategies for developing their activity, maximising the chances of startups establishing themselves in the Coimbra ecosystem. The ultimate success of this programme will be measured in the medium and long term according to the establishment of these or other similar companies in Coimbra.

Participation in the Coimbra Tech Challenge exceeded expectations, with around 100 applications from start-ups from around the world. The most represented sectors included Sustainability (29%), Health (13%), Mobility (11%), Energy (8%), Industry 4.0 (7%), and Technology and Telecommunications (7%). An international jury made up of figures from the worlds of technology, health and innovation selected the 11 most promising companies whose profile best suited what the city and the technological ecosystem had to offer.

The Mayor, José Manuel Silva, believes that ‘We are building a new type of ecosystem – one that reinforces Coimbra's natural and historical identity as an intellectual capital and a hub of future-oriented innovation,’ he said. The President of the IPN Board, João Gabriel Silva, adds that the initiative is a ‘catalyst for ideas that can elevate the best of what is done in Portugal, in cooperation with other global innovators, to have a cross-cutting impact.’ The more international the IPN ecosystem is, the more national start-ups will be able to compete internationally.

Participants benefited from an intense and diverse agenda, which included workshops, lectures, networking and pitching sessions, held at various iconic locations around the city. The choice of venues such as Coimbra City Hall, the Pavilhão Centro de Portugal, the Convent of São Francisco, the Pedro Nunes Institute and the Pátio da Inquisição (a new space specifically prepared for this disruptive concept), complemented by visits to the University and the historic centre, served to demonstrate the quality and diversity of the infrastructure available, as well as the rich historical and cultural context that the city offers to companies looking to set up in Coimbra.  

This initiative is part of the strategy known as ‘Baixinova’, a new registered trademark that combines Baixa (downtown) and Inovação (innovation), creating particularly attractive conditions in the historic area of the city for the establishment of these start-ups from outside, but also from within, in a context of a global response to attract entrepreneurs and their families.

The promotional video ‘Baixinova’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKeRveTjqSk), previously developed in a specific process, within an integrated and forward-looking strategic framework, was produced with the aim of being disseminated globally, demonstrating the region's technological capacity and the unique alignment between academia, the municipality, the historical past and the future of Coimbra. It highlights the ideal conditions of the city and downtown Coimbra, including the quality of life, the more affordable cost of living compared to Lisbon or Porto, the centrality, soul and culture of Coimbra, as considerable advantages for an entrepreneur or team.