Inova-Ria participated in the conference “A New Cycle for Innovation and Science”, integrated in the Braga Economy Weeks 2026 initiative, promoted by the Municipality of Braga and InvestBraga, in partnership with CCDR NORTE.
The session brought together several entities from the national innovation and science ecosystem to reflect on the challenges and opportunities associated with semiconductors, collaborative projects and European strategic instruments, reinforcing the importance of microelectronics as a priority area for European competitiveness and technological sovereignty.
Representing Inova-Ria, Eng. Paulo Marques (Executive Manager) participated as a guest speaker, presenting the evolution of the Microelectronics Observatory — a strategic platform that aggregates, organizes and provides relevant information about the microelectronics sector in Portugal.
The Microelectronics Agenda project was also presented by António Barny, highlighting the strategic importance of the initiative for strengthening the national microelectronics ecosystem. Funded under the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the project aims to reinforce Portugal’s positioning within the European semiconductor value chain through innovation, industrial capacity, qualification and collaboration.
During the presentation, the Observatory was highlighted as a strategic tool for decision support, industry-academia connection, knowledge valorization and reinforcement of the national microelectronics value chain. The platform provides information on entities, opportunities, strategic reports, sector news and the characterization of the microelectronics value chain.
Some of the results achieved since the platform’s launch in October 2024 were also shared, namely:
- more than 10,000 clicks on strategic content;
- around 4,800 document downloads;
- national and international visitors from countries such as Germany, Spain, the USA, France, Japan and the United Kingdom;
- continuous growth of the ecosystem represented on the platform.
The presentation also reinforced Portugal’s positioning within the European semiconductor ecosystem, highlighting national capabilities in production, testing, repair, refurbishment and recycling of microelectronics.
The Microelectronics Observatory therefore emerges as a strategic infrastructure for knowledge and visibility within the sector, contributing to bringing together industry, academia, investors and decision-makers, while simultaneously promoting the qualification and internationalization of the national ecosystem.
The presentation took place at Fórum Braga on May 22.
