#18
Moderate Innovator
European Innovation Scoreboard, 2023 EU-28
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A country made of discoveries, entrepreneurship, creativity and permanent innovation. Discover why Portugal offers the right ecosystem for your company.
Portugal is a top country providing technological services
Portugal has been the breeding ground for some high-tech innovations that changed the world we live in today: from Via Verde, the world's first closed system of automatic highway tolls, to the Pre-Paid Mobile Phone, the starting point of today's mobile revolution.
Today, the country is renowned for its expertise in various fields, from sophisticated banking solutions to the innovative use of cork in high-profile projects in the aerospace industry, such as NASA and ESA space shuttles.
Top R&D institutions and scientific talent
Portugal’s R&D system combines state-of-the-art infrastructure and an internationally competitive research community to address humanity’s most pressing challenges.
Portuguese researchers explore forefront knowledge in various fields – from Life Sciences and Engineering to Natural and Environmental sciences – publishing their findings in many of the world’s most cited publications.
This research is developed within a national network of advanced laboratories, R&D units and institutions: a collaborative environment that fosters knowledge-based innovation, industry partnerships and active participation in European and international projects. The first international research institution in Europe in the field of nanoscience is located in Portugal – INL International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory.
Vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem
Portugal has witnessed a remarkable technology boom over the last few years, emerging as one of Europe’s fastest-growing hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Bustling with disruptive ideas and cutting-edge technologies, the country’s IT landscape has become a thriving ecosystem of startups, incubators, accelerators, tech hubs and universities. And there is no greater evidence than the expanding repertoire of unicorns with Portuguese DNA, which includes Outsystems, Feedzai, Remote and Sword.
Portugal is home to the Web Summit, one of the world’s largest annual tech conferences, which has been gathering Fortune 500 companies, corporate leaders and tech experts in Lisbon since 2016.
Digitally well-connected
Building a digital society is one of Portugal's key strategic priorities, in which citizens, corporations and the State all play an essential role.
Over half of Portugal's population has the skills to thrive in a digitalised world, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index 2022. As early technology adopters, the Portuguese are known for their positive attitude towards innovation, which stimulates the take-up of digital technologies and online services.
With resilient telecom infrastructures and widespread access to fast broadband, Portuguese enterprises are also well above the EU average regarding digital readiness and the use of advanced digital technologies, according to the EIBIS Corporate Digitalisation Index 2021.
And like many developed economies, Portugal has steadily shifted to e-government, leveraging new technologies to streamline public services and make them more accessible and inclusive for all citizens.
