Inova-Ria attended the launch of the book “The 1994 Michael Porter Report Revisited – Portugal: 1994, 2025 and 2030”, authored by André Paula Santos, Alcino Lavrador and Bruno Damásio. The event took place at Culturgest, in Lisbon, before a full audience and with the presence of several prominent figures from Portugal’s economic, political and business communities.
Published by a2AI Consultores – Analytics Artificial Intelligence, Lda., the book revisits, more than 30 years later, the study conducted by Michael Porter on Portugal’s competitiveness. It assesses the country’s evolution, examines its currently recognised clusters and identifies challenges and priorities for Portugal to create greater value and prosperity towards 2030.
With a foreword by Dr Eduardo Catroga, contributions from Eng. Mira Amaral and Eng. Luís Todo Bom, and a message from former Prime Minister and President of the Republic Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the book aims to promote reflection on Portugal’s progress, what remains to be achieved and the priorities that should guide the strengthening of national competitiveness over the coming decade.
AMPERE: a strategic opportunity for the Central Region and Portugal
Among the initiatives highlighted in the book is the AMPERE HUB – Centre of Excellence in Microelectronics and Photonics for Chips of the Future, an initiative with the potential to contribute to Portugal’s positioning in strategic areas such as microelectronics, photonics and semiconductors.
Located at the PCI – Science and Innovation Park of Ílhavo, in Portugal’s Central Region, AMPERE proposes the creation of a centre of excellence dedicated to semiconductors, microelectronics and integrated photonics. The initiative is designed to accelerate technological and industrial development and strengthen Portugal’s national capabilities in these high-technology fields.
The initiative is aligned with the regional strategy of the Regional Coordination and Development Commission of the Central Region (CCDRC) for the development of microelectronics and semiconductors. It represents an opportunity to strengthen the technological competitiveness of the Central Region and contribute to a more balanced territorial distribution of innovation capabilities across Portugal.
The creation of this hub can also foster collaboration between companies, research and technology organisations and other ecosystem stakeholders, creating the conditions for the development and industrialisation of high-value-added technologies while complementing existing technology clusters in other regions of the country.
Contributing to Portugal’s technological competitiveness
The reference to AMPERE in a publication focused on Portugal’s competitiveness is particularly relevant as it places the initiative within the broader context of the country’s strategic priorities.
At a time when global value chains and Europe’s drive for technological sovereignty are reshaping the semiconductor landscape, strengthening Portugal’s capabilities in semiconductors, microelectronics and photonics represents an opportunity to increase the country’s participation in higher-value technology value chains, attract investment and create new opportunities for industrial development.
For Inova-Ria, as an organisation that promotes connections between companies, academia and technological innovation, this vision is closely aligned with the importance of building critical mass, fostering collaboration across the ecosystem and transforming scientific and technological knowledge into innovation, industrial development and economic value.
Inova-Ria’s participation in the launch of this publication therefore provided an opportunity to engage with an important reflection on the future of Portugal’s competitiveness and to reinforce the relevance of initiatives such as AMPERE in building stronger, more collaborative technological capabilities and integrating Portugal further into European semiconductor, microelectronics and photonics value chains.
