New Post-Secondary Partnership Milestone in Portugal 

At Empowered Startups, our goal is to accelerate innovation and R&D in Portugal. Recently, we achieved a significant milestone toward this goal by partnering with over 50 universities and post-secondary institutions in the country. This milestone reflects our growing impact and commitment to supporting international founders as they bring innovative R&D projects to Portugal.  

This achievement follows our recent partnership with the Associação Portuguesa do Ensino Superior Privado (APESP), an organization that represents non-state higher education institutions in the country. Alongside our existing list of post-secondary institutions, our list of available partners for the HQA® Program is now more robust than ever.  

About the HQA Program

Empowered Startups is the exclusive, government-endorsed partner for the Portugal HQA® Visa Program. This unique program invites global academics, professionals, and entrepreneurs to bring their expertise to Portugal, launching and growing innovative ventures that make a real impact. The program was co-created with top R&D institutions in Portugal as a high-impact alternative to the Golden Visa program. Through the HQA® Program, qualified professionals join our full-service R&D startup incubation program, which we partner with an accredited research institution to carry out their R&D projects.   

If you’re interested in the HQA® Program, read our Founder Stories, and check out the program page for more information on how to apply.