Innovation

Consolidate the region as an innovative territory

A purpose leveraged on the potential of the region's symbolic capital around the issues of the "Sea, Tagus and Sado rivers", the creation of "artistic, cultural and landscape routes of excellence", "interculturality, ways of life and links to Portuguese-speaking territories".

Today's choices mean tomorrow's future!

Collective ambition: The Lisbon Metropolitan Area, associating the competitive advantages of innovation with the potential of its symbolic capital, aims to position itself as a leading innovation territory that, while contributing to reducing disparities in development between the various municipalities that make it up, simultaneously promotes harmonious development of the territory, ensuring its internal cohesion and convergence with the average levels of development of European innovation, betting heavily on the geostrategic positioning of the Region.

Innovation Strategy for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area

Innovation - the Strategy

The Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (AML), together with the Universidade Nova de Lisboa/InformationManagement School, the eighteen municipalities that make it up and a wide range of experts in the most diverse areas of Innovation, contributed to the development of an Innovation Strategy for the AML, helping to collectively think about a development and implementation project that will enable the Region to be placed on international strategic routes and platforms, creating a metropolitan collaborative innovation ecosystem that accelerates drivers of competitiveness and cohesion.

With this collaborative work, made up of three volumes - 1. Diagnosis; 2. Strategic Plan and, 3. Action Plan, available for consultation on this page, we intend to respond to two major strategic objectives for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area:

1. To contribute to a more global region by developing a set of "high value-added" innovation outputs/inputs, in order to ensure that the territory is conducive to the development of innovative dynamics which, by fostering the attraction and retention of talent and entrepreneurs, can be recognized abroad as a territory with a quality of life, an environment conducive to creativity, co-creation and the generation of ideas;

2. Contribute to the development of a more cohesive region, by strengthening institutional capacity for more flexible, participatory and collaborative governance models, activating win-win cooperation strategies that will dictate, according to the collective will of eighteen, the evolution of innovation processes in the future of AML and their possible replication throughout the national territory, also strengthening the cohesion of the country on this scale.

Looking to the future, AML will therefore have to consolidate its current bases of action, develop and acquire complementary skills that will allow it to be more adaptable and to grow in a sustained and sustainable way, with gains in efficiency, quality of the support provided and gains of scale for the region.

Innovation - the Strategic Plan

The scope of the Strategic Innovation Plan for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area is to guide activity related to the planning, implementation and management of innovation in the region. Strengthening this capacity is a huge challenge which, if achieved, will help the territory to have a better quality of life in which to live, work and visit, and to be more attractive to entrepreneurs and investors who can contribute to boosting the region's economic growth and development.

The Plan was the result of a collective discussion involving around a hundred participants:

1. Contributions from a group of eighty interlocutors from the eighteen municipalities that make up the AML, who work on thematic areas and their development projects in the various fields of innovation, having collaborated in workshops on innovation, cogeneration and the creation of ideas;

2. Challenging and strategically relevant contributions from a group of twenty experts responsible for the main agencies and associations with a focus on the theme, work, strategic thinking and recognized merit such as: Guta Moura Guedes (president and co-founder of Experimenta Design); João Seixas (researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences and the Observatory of the Metropolis, Brazil); Jorge Coelho, President INOV.Org and prof. in Organizational Innovation); José Lopes Costa (Business Angel); Miguel Fontes (CEO Startup Lisboa); João Assunção Gato (researcher at DINÂMICA'CET-ISCTE); Maria Assunção Gato (CEO Startup Lisboa). in Organizational Innovation); José Lopes Costa (Business Angel); Miguel Fontes (CEO Startup Lisboa); Maria Assunção Gato (researcher at DINÂMICA'CET-ISCTE); Nuno Ventura Bento (CCDR-LVT); João Mendes Borga and Natália Santos (National Innovation Agency); Jorge Lagarto and Elsa Belo (LABX-Centro para a Inovação do Sector Público Team); Sérgio Barroso (CEDRU); Bernardo Santos e Sousa (Coordinator of the Portugal Digital Mission Structure); Vanda de Jesus (Executive Director of the Portugal Digital Mission Structure); Pedro Ribeiro Santos (Regional Innovation Council); Manuel Dias( Microsoft PortugalAl Ambassador ); Filipa Cardoso (Director of Smart Cities Magazine); Ana Marques and Nuno Cavaco (coordination of Pillars 2 and 3 of the Action Plan for Technological Transition); Henrique Mamede (Professor and Consultant in application and technological information systems and architectures).

All the outputs were cross-referenced with the information gathered in the previous diagnostic phase, as well as with a set of public policies at various scales (international, national and regional), using prospective methodologies, taking into account a careful analysis of the internal and external contexts, in view of the main threats, but also the region's strong potential, The most appropriate scenario for the current metropolitan context was considered to be the implementation of a Realistic-Incremental scenario that would allow the creation of structural conditions for the progressive increase of innovative approaches in the 18 municipalities and their territories, based on continued collaborative work and the sharing of experiences.

Innovation - the Concept, the Vision, the Strategic Axes

Innovation - the concept

A metropolitan competitive advantage that could take the form of an innovative process/organizational project, product/service (at the social, cultural, technological and other levels) or marketing that, preferably using the concept of "open innovation", provides significant advances in the development of sustainability and cohesion in the municipalities of the metropolitan region as a whole, as well as in its international projection.

Innovation - the VISION

Achieve high levels of attractiveness and talent retention by investing in the symbolic capital of the region, in the training of its human resources and in technology as tools for accelerating innovation with sustainability in order to build a more cohesive region, centered on people and their quality of life.

Innovation The Strategic Axes

Innovation - the Action Plan

The aim of this summary document is to identify a set of structuring projects which, in methodological terms, are part of a metropolitan innovation ecosystem based on the contributions made in phases one and two - the Diagnosis and the Strategic Plan, respectively, culminating in a proposal for a metropolitan innovation system and a set of ten priority projects:

The Lisbon Metropolitan Area will have to debate the construction of its innovation model for the coming years, using the set of tools it now has, so that it can be recognized nationally and internationally for its innovation dynamics. In the discussion, with a focus on the priority areas corresponding to the five strategic axes of the Innovation Strategy for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, as well as its three cross-cutting strategic axes, it will be able, by adopting appropriate methodologies and strategies, with purpose, critical sense and social awareness, to reach new heights of development for the Region.

Innovation - Initiatives

Public presentation of the Innovation Strategy for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area on June 30 at the Beato Innovation District

The Innovation Strategy for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area was presented on June 30th in the Cookie 2 room of the Beato Innovation District - Unicorn Factory Lisboa. At the opening session, the First Metropolitan Secretary, Carlos Humberto de Carvalho, pointed out that "this Strategy represents a significant milestone in our collective commitment to promoting an environment conducive to innovation, growth and sustainable development, with a focus on improving the quality of life throughout our Region".

The presentation of the Innovation Strategy for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area was made by the director of NOVA Information Management School, Miguel de Castro Neto and the project coordinator, Vitor dos Santos.

This event also saw the participation of a number of experts in the various areas of innovation - academia and public institutions - key to the development of innovation in the region, such as the CCDR-LVT, with the participation of its president, Teresa Almeida; Lisbon City Council's Councillor for the Economy and Innovation, Diogo Moura; the National Innovation Agency, through its national contact point Horizon Europe, Natália Dias; and the founder of Nova Cidade Urban Analytics Lab, Miguel de Castro Neto. This debate on the role of "Regional Innovation Systems", moderated by the director of Nova Innovation & Analytics Lab, Guilherme Vitorino, discussed the uniqueness of the AML through the possible links between symbolic capital and innovation; the role of governance in an ecosystem as a tool for breaking down ways of working in silos; the role of structure, incentives and relationships of trust between actors, as well as the participants' vision of what could be a transformative project that is still lacking and that brings the whole region together.

Also noteworthy was the Innovative Projects exhibition with the collaboration of the executive director of Unicorn Factory, Gil Azevedo, who presented "Lisboa Innovation for All - European Capital of Innovation"; the head of the "Beato Living Lab", Vitor Vieira; and the "Almada Innovation District" projects, presented by the municipal director of CM Almada, Paulo Pais; "Mafra Sustainable Tourist Destination", presented by the tourism councillor of CM Mafra, Pedro Carmo Silva; and "Seixal Criativo", presented by the coordinators of the CM Seixal project, Maria João Santos and Edmundo Nobre.

In closing, the vice-president of the Lisbon Metropolitan Council, Hugo Moreira Luís, highlighted the importance of this Strategy for a collective commitment to the future in order to transform the AML into a living example of innovation and prosperity.

Social Innovation and Circularity

AML is a partner in the Local Action Group - Urbact - IV - Let's Go Circular Project, a European program for learning and exchanging experiences in promoting sustainable urban development. This project consists of defining lines of action and organizing the respective thematic teams that collaborate, together with Lisboa E-Nova and the Municipal Directorate of Economy and Innovation, in URBACT Let's Go Circular, jointly drawing up an Integrated Action Plan for the Circular Economy in Lisbon 2023-2025.

It is worth mentioning the strategic added value of this type of "open innovation" project for "inspiration" in creating public value through the generation of new ideas, services, relationships and collective learning, strengthening institutional trust and, in this sense, in line with the strategic guidelines of the AML Strategic Plan for Innovation, embodying learning focused on axis 4. Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Innovation Indicators

European Innovation Panel

PORTUGAL STRENGTHENS ITS POSITION IN THE CURRENT EUROPEAN INNOVATION FRAMEWORK, RANKING 16TH OUT OF 27 MEMBER STATES

Within the current European innovation framework, and according to the recently published data from the European Innovation Scoreboard (European innovation scoreboard - European Commission), Portugal strengthens its position compared to 2024, rising from 19th to 16th in 2025 among the 27 member states. Although the country remains in the Moderate Innovator category, it is closer to the European average, up three percentage points on 2024 and nine points on 2018 - with its current index standing at 90.7%.

Note: for more information see European innovation scoreboard - European Commission (europa.eu)

REGIONAL PROFILE OF GREATER LISBON

The Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025 (Regional innovation scoreboard - European Commission), which benchmarks 241 European regions, indicates, for the first time, the Greater Lisbon region as a Strong Innovator, with 109.6% of the European Union average.

Among the European regions under analysis, Greater Lisbon ranks 77th in Europe. This upward trend has been consolidated in recent years, with growth of 18.7% since 2018.

Among the nine Portuguese regions, Greater Lisbon leads the way, standing out in areas such as ICT employment, new innovation sales on the market and scientific co-publications.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

CURRENT BENCHMARKING

PERFORMANCE TRENDS

STRUCTURAL INDICATORS

Note:

For more information see Regional innovation scoreboard - European Commission (europa.eu)

Global Innovation Index 2025

Portugal remains in 31st place in the Global Innovation Index 2025 (GII)

Global position

Portugal remains in 31st place, compared to 2024, out of 139 economies evaluated, six more than last year. In the European context, it is the 16th most innovative economy in the European Union.

Of the seven areas analyzed, Portugal stands out positively in theHuman Capital and Research indicator, where it ranks 21st in the world, in Creative Outputs and Market Sophistication, 25th and 26th, respectively.

However, in Infrastructure, Portugal still ranks 42nd, despite an improvement of four percentage points compared to 2024. In Business Sophistication, Knowledge and Technology Outputs and Institutions, it ranks 34th, 36th and 38th, respectively.

Top 10 worldwide

Switzerland, Sweden, the USA, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark and China, the latter of which entered the top 10 for the first time, reinforcing Asia's weight in the global innovation ecosystem.

Best of Southern Europe

Italy (28th), Spain (29th) and Portugal (31st)

Global trends

The GII 2025 reflects a global downward trend in investment in innovation worldwide, with a slight increase of only 2.3% for 2025.

Challenges for Innovation in Portugal  

Maintaining the 31st position in the Global Innovation Index 2025 indicates that the country continues to demonstrate some competitiveness in innovation, although it remains below the level expected of a more developed economy.

The report highlights the growing potential of Lisbon and Porto as "regional innovation clusters", with Lisbon rising in the European ranking of innovative ecosystems due to the growth of start-ups and investment in mobility, energy and culture.

The main strengths lie in human capital, creativity and economic diversification, while the main challenges continue to be structural, with particular emphasis on productivity, infrastructure and technological development.

Also noteworthy as positive factors for Portugal are the growth in the number of international patent applications (6.7%), scientific production (number of technical articles published), which currently ranks 11th in the world, the improvement in digital infrastructure, with greater penetration of 5G and the growth in the use of electric vehicles. 

See document at: Global Innovation Index 2025. Innovation at a Crossroads