The aim with Tec-Empreende – Technological Entrepreneurship Programme was to promote and support, in the Northern part of the country, technology-based projects that may lead to the creation of companies with high potential for internationalisation in two areas: Software and Multimedia and Textile and Clothing. 

The programme was devised to create a network that included several stakeholders from the academic and business areas, as well as interface institutions. This network of complementary relationships generated synergies and promoted the conditions for innovative projects in the programme’s areas of intervention.

Summarily, the projects supported by the programme met the following requirements:

• Promote the development of technology products and services that take into consideration the real market needs in the areas mentioned above;
• Incorporate clearly defined technology innovation, or existing innovation that may have a different application field;
• Improve the potential for commercialisation and internationalisation.
• Have a positive impact on the Northern part of the country, namely by creating qualified employment and through the valorisation of scientific and technological knowledge capital generated in the region’s universities. Furthermore, the intention is to bring new value to the traditional sectors where the region holds important know-how, and invest in new sectors that have a tendency to grow.

Tec-Empreende was approved as part of the O.N. 2 Programme (Systems to Support Science and Technology Parks and Technology-based Incubators), with the support of INESC TEC and ANJE – Associação Nacional de Jovens Empresários (National Association for Young Entrepreneurs).

Tec-Empreende was divided into three phases:

Phase 1 – Generating Ideas and Evaluating Opportunities (between June 2011 and September 2011)

• Submitting applications to the Call “IdeaMove – Da Ideia ao Negócio” (IdeaMove – How to turn an idea into a business); 
• Selecting 18 Promoter Teams that will participate in the Field Training for Entrepreneurs;
• Field Training for Entrepreneurs: Developing, presenting and supporting Business Projects;
• Selecting 12 Promoter Teams that will go through to the pre-incubation phase after the Business Projects are evaluated.

Phase 2 - Pre-incubation (between September 2011 and December 2011)

• Developing Business Plans under technical supervision;
• Creating and improving the Promoters’ skills through training cycles;
• Presenting and supporting the Business Plans with the Evaluation Panel;
• Selecting 6 Promoter Teams that will go through to the third Phase.

Phase 3 – Incubation (between January 2011 and April 2012)

• Staring the company/project under technical supervision;
• Creating and improving the Promoters’ skills through training cycles;
• Focus on the business process.

Partners:

• INESC TEC
• ANJE – Associação Nacional de Jovens Empresários
  
  Contact: Andreia Passos