The launch of Tech Foundry Portugal – Deep Tech Edition is one of those signs that, being apparently another program, may actually represent a turning point.

For years, Portugal has built something that is undeniable today: quality scientific talent, internationally recognised research and knowledge centres with a real capacity to generate innovation. But the same piece was always missing. The ability to transform this knowledge into a product, into a company and, above all, into economic impact. That is exactly where this program comes in.

The idea of creating a bridge between the laboratory and the market is not new, but it has rarely been executed in a structured way. What distinguishes this movement is the attempt to integrate everything into the same path. Acceleration, access to specialised investors, connection to financing and, above all, focus on technologies that are not immediate, but that define the future.

Deep tech is not a simple or quick concept. We are talking about biotechnology, advanced computing, robotics, new materials, space, and energy. In areas where the maturation time is longer, the risk is higher, and the technical complexity requires another type of monitoring. But it is also these areas that create structural value, intellectual property and real competitive advantage. Portugal, so far, has had difficulty capturing this amount.

We have startups, we have talent, we have good ideas, but we often see this knowledge go to other markets where it finds better conditions to grow. What this program tries to do is reverse that cycle. Create conditions for these teams to stay, grow and become companies with scale.

Another relevant point is the involvement of a global network. Innovation today is global from day one, and those who are not born with this ambition hardly compete.

At the same time, the connection to financing through Banco Português de Fomento is a step that cannot be ignored. One of the biggest problems in the ecosystem has always been the fragmentation between technical support, acceleration and capital. When these pieces start to line up, the impact tends to be much more significant. But there is something more important behind all this. This type of initiative shows that Portugal is beginning to realise that the future of the economy is not only in traditional sectors or in attracting foreign investment. It is also able to create its own technology, to transform knowledge into a product and to actively participate in the most advanced global value chains. We are still at the beginning of this path.

But if there is consistency, continuity and the ability to execute, programs like this can stop being the exception and become part of a more robust system of innovation. And that is where the difference happens. Not when we launch initiatives, but when we start building an ecosystem where they become natural.