The event is organized by the Canadian Embassy and the National Research Council of Canada – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), with the support of ANI – National Innovation Agency and takes place in parallel with the ITEA Project Outline Days 2025, one of the most relevant meetings in Europe for collaborative R&D projects in digital technologies.

The initiative comes in a context in which digital transformation is increasingly crucial to face global challenges, from the energy transition to urban mobility, through health, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity and even the aerospace sector. By bringing together companies, government entities, research centers and universities, this innovation day aims to open new opportunities for co-innovation, allowing ideas developed in national contexts to gain scale and impact on a transatlantic scale.

The program will feature lightning presentations by several Canadian companies that stand out for their capacity for innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, georeferencing, cybersecurity, digital platforms for health and education, or even solutions applied to air and space mobility. Through these interventions, participants will have direct contact with emerging technologies and collaboration proposals that can give rise to new international research and development consortia. In addition, there will be moments dedicated to sharing perspectives on opportunities under the ITEA program and the Eureka Clusters, platforms recognized for boosting multinational projects with a strong industrial and social impact.

One of the central points of the event will be the networking space, designed to bring Portuguese and European entities closer to Canadian partners looking to expand their international presence. It is precisely in this direct dialogue that the seeds of future collaborations often reside, whether they are joint applied research projects, the development of new products, or even entry into new markets.

For Portugal, this meeting is particularly relevant at a time when the country has been asserting itself as a hub of digital and technological innovation, attracting international companies and valuing the talent trained in its universities. For Canada, it represents an opportunity to strengthen ties with the European innovation ecosystem and to design its technological solutions in strategic markets. By bringing companies, researchers and decision-makers face to face, Canada-Portugal Digital Innovation Day reinforces the conviction that only through international cooperation will it be possible to face the great challenges of our time and create sustainable growth for the future.

Disclaimer: This article has been written with the assistance of AI.

Author

Paulo Lopes is a multi-talent Portuguese citizen who made his Master of Economics in Switzerland and studied law at Lusófona in Lisbon - CEO of Casaiberia in Lisbon and Algarve.

Paulo Lopes