The weather report is unequivocal: 9 to 12 degrees from December to February, 13 to 18 degrees from March to May, 20 to 25 degrees from June to September and 15 to 19 degrees from October to November. In Matosinhos, a city north of Porto, the weather is better than in Luxembourg, the atmosphere is more pleasant and the sea is not far away. As a sign of a growing trend, PWC in early October opened an office in Matosinhos dedicated to the Luxembourg financial sector in a bid to attract new talent who weren’t thrilled at the idea of living in Metz and wasting three hours a day on public transport to work 40 hours a week at the Cloche d’Or.

But setting up in Portugal isn’t really a new idea: the Losch Group, which will be at the business forum with its Digital Lab, opened a branch in the country in 2018 and signed a partnership with Uptec, the University of Porto’s science and technology park.

Since 2020, the Portuguese authorities have been attracting the world of tech to Portugal. This includes healthtech, with 1,708 companies (mainly based in Lisbon and Porto) employing nearly 18,000 people and generating a turnover of €2.2bn. Between 2018 and 2022, Portugal even increased its exports by 16.6% (including +48% to the United States and +30% to Ireland). 17% of its graduates are in the health sector, a figure that’s above the European average. Portugal is the fifth country in the world in terms of the number of health researchers per million inhabitants; Rune Labs (USA), Labatec (Switzerland), Hikma (UK), EssilorLuxottica (France) and Shamir (Israel), to name but a few, have set up their European HQs under the Portuguese sun.

Hovione, a Portuguese pharmaceutical manufacturer that employs 2,000 people worldwide and specialises in the development and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and inhaled medicines, and Bial, a pharmaceutical laboratory with around 10,00 employees, will not be present at the forum. But the sector has many assets to put forward, and the meetings that the Luxembourg delegation (composed of 51 companies) have scheduled with local contacts are sure to be rich in content.

After the official speeches by Fernand Ernster, president of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce,  (DP, Luxembourg’s digitalisation minister, and João Rui Ferreira, Portuguese secretary of state for the economy, Ricardo Arroja, CEO and chairman of the board of Aicep--Portugal Trade&Invest, will be defending new synergies, a recurring theme in Luxembourg’s storytelling when it comes to technology.

In addition to healthtech, Tuesday morning’s conference will feature a talk focused on the ‘sustainable construction’ vertical by Vanessa Tavares, head of sustainable development at , a Portuguese collaborative laboratory specialising in innovation and research for the construction and built environment sector. The organisation brings together companies, universities, public institutions and other research centres to develop innovative solutions in areas such as building information modelling (BIM), artificial intelligence for infrastructure management and the sustainability of construction materials.

The story of André Godinho Luz, general manager of , should also be noted. This technology company specialising in digital twins for the manufacturing industry works with firms in a wide range of sectors, including automotive, aerospace and agri-food, all of which are crucial to optimising production.

Tuesday afternoon will be reserved for B2B and Wednesday for visits to Luxembourg companies.

The companies and organisations taking part

(Provisional list provided by the Portuguese Embassy in Luxembourg)

— offers data analysis solutions to optimise agricultural yields and promote sustainable and intelligent agriculture.

— supports local businesses by promoting innovation, collaboration and economic development in the Sines region.

— is dedicated to integrating advanced technological solutions to help businesses adopt best practice in digital transformation.

— offers cybersecurity solutions to protect companies against cyberthreats and ensure data confidentiality.

— supports companies in their digital transformation through cloud technologies, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

— helps companies exploit digital solutions to improve performance and innovate.

— develops innovative solutions in artificial intelligence and digital health, with a focus on improving quality of life.

— facilitates the transition of companies to advanced technological systems and optimises their IT operations.

— offers digital security and authentication services to protect official documents.

— supports businesses in their digital transformation with cutting-edge technologies and cloud solutions.

— uses 3D models of digital twins to optimise industrial processes and promote the sustainability of production chains.

— offers solutions to improve customer experience and operational efficiency through digital transformation.

— offers software development and technology consulting services to optimise business processes.

— helps companies adapt to market changes with advanced management and analysis solutions.

— offers consulting services to integrate information technologies and support business growth.

—improves the digital infrastructure of businesses to enhance performance and efficiency.

— focuses on digital innovation and new technologies in the automotive sector.

— helps businesses adopt digital technologies and optimise their strategies.

— creates integrated management solutions to meet the needs of public and private organisations.

— optimises the management of production and logistics processes with software solutions.

— helps companies set up secure, high-performance digital infrastructures.

— offers advanced cybersecurity services to protect sensitive data.

— supports businesses in their digital transformation with customised technology strategies.

— offers IT solutions to improve business efficiency through automation.

— offers innovative solutions to improve the quality of care and optimise the management of healthcare establishments.

— brings together healthcare players to promote innovation and boost the sector's competitiveness.

— provides medical engineering solutions focused on decision-making and technical support.

— provides specialised services in radiotherapy and oncology to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.

— develops nanotechnology solutions to improve medical treatments and drug delivery.

— offers digital health solutions enabling professionals to collect data in real time and improve clinical outcomes.

—University of Coimbra collaborates with companies to innovate in the medical sector through advanced research in health technologies.

—Value Health Data develops health data solutions to optimise care and the management of healthcare establishments.

— helps the construction sector to transform itself with digital and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

— focuses on innovation and sustainability to deliver modern, environmentally-friendly infrastructure.

— provides engineering and environmental consultancy services for sustainable infrastructure projects.

— offers solutions for sustainable management and reducing the ecological footprint of companies.

— supports construction projects with reliable solutions for the electrical sector.

— supplies high-quality materials for the sustainable construction sector.

— develops innovative and ecological architectural projects to meet urban challenges.

— offers creative and sustainable solutions for urban infrastructure projects.

— helps construction companies optimise their projects using BIM modelling technologies.

— offers digital solutions to improve the efficiency of construction projects.

— focuses on ambitious and sustainable infrastructure projects.

— offers thermal systems solutions for environmentally-friendly construction projects.

— offers modern, sustainable lighting solutions for public and private spaces.

This article was originally published in .