The European Union and Portugal have renewed their commitment to building a stronger innovation ecosystem, with a focus on helping startups, researchers, and technology companies grow within Europe rather than seeking opportunities abroad
During a high-level visit to Portugal, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva met with government leaders, researchers, business representatives, and local innovators to discuss plans aimed at boosting Europe’s competitiveness and reducing the gap with global technology leaders.
The visit showed Portugal’s role as one of Europe’s strongest performers in research and innovation, particularly among the Horizon Europe “Widening” countries.
To date, Portugal has secured €1.3 billion in Horizon Europe funding, demonstrating its increasing influence in the EU’s research landscape.
Building a stronger framework for innovation
Talks focused on several major European initiatives that are expected to reshape the continent’s research and technology sectors over the coming years.
One of the key priorities is encouraging EU member states to move beyond temporary post-pandemic Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funding by establishing stable, long-term national investment in research and innovation.
The European Commission continues to support the goal of investing 3% of GDP in research and development, noting that Horizon Europe funding is expected to generate significant economic returns over the next two decades.
Another major development is the planned European Research Area (ERA) Act, expected to be adopted later in 2026.
The legislation will strengthen scientific research across Europe by protecting academic freedom, facilitating cross-border collaboration, introducing a standard EU employment contract for researchers, and ensuring the automatic recognition of doctoral qualifications between member states.
Making Europe more attractive for startups
The Commission also outlined plans to simplify life for entrepreneurs through the proposed “EU Inc.” framework. The optional legal structure would allow technology companies to establish a single pan-European business in less than 48 hours using a unified digital registration system, reducing the complexity of navigating 27 different national corporate systems.
Access to investment remains another major priority. Later this year, the Commission plans to launch a €5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT, to help promising deep-tech companies secure the large-scale financing needed to expand globally.
The fund will focus on late-stage investment rounds worth more than €100 million, addressing one of Europe’s biggest challenges in helping successful startups scale without relocating overseas.
Portugal showcases its growing innovation sector
The visit also highlighted Portugal’s own innovation success stories.
In Lisbon, discussions focused on the city’s transformation into a technology hub. The Unicorn Factory Lisbon, established during Mayor Carlos Moedas’ first term, now supports 17 unicorn companies and has played an important role in attracting entrepreneurs, investors, and international talent. The Commissioner also visited the Beato Innovation District, one of the country’s flagship centres for startups and innovation.
Meetings with founders working in artificial intelligence, healthcare, and cybersecurity explored ongoing challenges, including access to funding, administrative barriers, regulatory differences across Europe, and support for women-led businesses. Among the companies featured was Delox, a university spin-off that recently received €1.6 million in support from the European Innovation Council.
The visit concluded at the Champalimaud Foundation, where discussions centred on the organisation’s strong record of securing European Research Council grants and its research to reduce the environmental impact of medical imaging by 2028.
