In a world increasingly shaped by complex challenges, Europe’s prosperity and strategic autonomy will depend on our capacity to innovate and harness technology. To remain competitive and independent in critical sectors, Europe must embed innovation at the heart of its identity. Portugal, with the support of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), is becoming a key player in that transformation.
Portugal’s innovation moment
Portugal’s rise is tangible. Though the country is still classified as a Moderate Innovator in the 2024 European Innovation Scoreboard, Lisbon has emerged as a key startup hub — ranked 15th among Emerging Startup Ecosystems in Europe and 33rd globally. It is now a European Capital of Innovation, home to Web Summit, and a magnet for global tech talent. One catalyst behind this success is less visible but crucial: innovation cooperation supported by the EIT, soon to be boosted by the official launch of the EIT Community Hub Portugal in Lisbon this July.
As Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, the EIT connects and creates cross-border networks that integrate education, research, and entrepreneurship. This model turns ideas into scalable tech solutions, viable companies, and jobs. The EIT aims to be a bridge here — connecting Portuguese talent, startups, and universities to wider European funding, programmes, and partnerships. It builds on the foundation of its long-standing support — until the end of 2023, it has supported over 311 Portuguese startups, attracted €28 million in investment, launched 45 innovations to market, and trained over 17 000 people. The Hub opening will represent a strategic step forward — it will align further national capabilities with European priorities, from renewable energy and digital infrastructure to deep tech and health innovation.
Startups with global impact
Take Full Venue, a Portuguese company using AI to predict consumer purchase behaviour with up to 95% accuracy. Backed by the EIT, it helps businesses — from UEFA football to festivals — target audiences most likely to buy, boosting sales while cutting marketing waste. By enhancing marketing efficiency and reducing reliance on external tech, Full Venue contributes to a stronger, more autonomous European digital economy. Its €2 million seed round in 2024 underscores the growing value and scalability of this homegrown innovation.
Or look at Enline, which is revolutionising energy transmission through sensorless digital twin technology with EIT support. Its AI-driven platform improves grid efficiency, cuts emissions, and strengthens infrastructure resilience — directly supporting Europe’s clean energy transition. A €3.5 million funding round in 2024 is accelerating its global expansion and impact.
Another significant success story from Portugal is Sword Health, a care provider, supporting people with chronic and post-surgical pain. Since 2015, it has become the world’s fastest growing virtual musculoskeletal care provider and has rolled out operations in the US, Europe and Australia. The quality and accessibility of Sword Health’s product has attracted huge interest from investors, helping it reach a EUR 2 billion in value and becoming Portugal’s first unicorn (a start-up company worth more than $1 billion) in the healthcare sector.
Anchoring Europe’s innovation frontier
By embedding Portugal into EU-wide consortia, research, and upskilling initiatives we can ensure that national innovation doesn’t just catch up with European goals – it helps shape them.
While Portugal has made major strides, structural challenges remain – from limited industry-academia collaboration to funding gaps in the scale-up phase. Solving these issues will need even stronger networks, better coordination, and more international visibility.
The stakes are high. As the EU sharpens its focus on strategic autonomy — whether in securing clean energy, building sovereign digital infrastructure, or strengthening critical supply chains — innovation becomes a geopolitical imperative. The choices we make now will shape Europe’s future position in the world. Portugal, with its vibrant ecosystem and Atlantic gateway position, has every potential to be a southern anchor of this new European innovation frontier.
As we ask “Europe: what future?”, one poart of the answer is already clear: it must be a future built on collaborative innovation, with Portugal at the table — not just as a participant, but as a fellow architect.
