For the second time in less than a month, Empowered Startups’ HQA Visa Program has borne fruit at the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda (IPG).
The partnership between the Canadian multinational and the higher education institution has resulted in an innovative collaboration between startup “AG-Transformer” and IPG. The project will enable small and medium-sized farmers to access information about more efficient, ecological and sustainable production methods and pairs Dixie O’Donnell, a digital technologies professional who currently works at Google and whose extensive professional experience includes working at NATO and the UN, with the business incubator at IPG.
“The collaboration between IPG and AG-Transformer is an excellent example of how our HQA Visa Program is bringing together leading R&D institutions and accomplished businesspeople in Portugal,” stated Chris Lennon, President of Empowered Startups. “These partnerships aren’t only advancing the state-of-the-art by innovating in a variety of scientific and technological fields; they’re also providing meaningful opportunities for researchers and students to further their own pursuits in Portugal rather than leaving the country in search of such prospects.”
Growing Together
Based on the concept of Controlled Environment Agriculture (AEC), this new entrepreneurial project will apply advanced digital technologies to agricultural activity. A platform will be created that will enable small and medium-sized farmers to have access to information about more efficient, ecological and sustainable production methods, but also about good practices, financing lines and partnership opportunities. Once the necessary technological devices have been developed, AG-Transformer will launch the first test field for the new platform in the area of influence of the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda.
“Attracting this investment was only possible because IPG currently has the necessary skills to develop cutting-edge applied technology and is also able to support the implementation of projects of this nature on the ground”, says Joaquim Brigas, president of IPG. “This startup will guide the application of advanced digital technologies to a sector of activity that is predominant in the region and which, therefore, has all the conditions to be successful and contribute to regional socioeconomic development”.
HQA Visa Program Paying Dividends
Having already announced two foreign-backed projects for its incubator this month, IPG expects to add at least three more startups via its HQA Visa Program partnership with Empowered Startups by the end of this year. Empowered currently has HQA Visa Program partnerships with a total of 13 different Portuguese universities and polytechnics providing incoming entrepreneurs with options to best serve their R&D needs while simultaneously elevating the number of opportunities available to researchers and students throughout Portugal. The latter benefit directly aligns with the Government of Portugal’s vision for increased territorial cohesion, one of several reasons why Empowered Startups is the only government-endorsed delivery partner of the HQA Visa Program. Empowered Startups has already welcomed nearly 70 entrepreneurs to Portugal as part of its three-year commitment to bring 250 internationally funded projects to at least 10 universities and polytechnics throughout the country.
