João Barros
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agency for Research and Innovation (AI²)

Welcome to Portuguese Science Summit Innovation 2026

This first Science and Innovation Conference is taking place at a very special time.

With the official launch of AI², we have the opportunity to think, plan, and build together the next decades of science, technology, innovation, and competitiveness in our country.

The creation of AI² reflects the ambition to build an agency capable of bringing together researchers, higher education institutions, companies, entrepreneurs, public decision-makers, and civil society around three common goals: to create more knowledge, generate more value, and place science and innovation at the center of Portugal’s cultural, social, and economic development. We want an AI² that is close to people and organizations, that respects the time and freedom of researchers and companies, simplifies processes, ensures predictability, and is viewed as a partner and ally. 

Recognizing that any strategy relevant to our ecosystem must be developed with input from all those who are active within it, we hope this meeting will create a broad and open space for listening, dialogue, and participation—a space where we can identify challenges, map out opportunities, and strengthen the connections between those who generate knowledge, those who transform it into innovation, and those who benefit from it. 

At the same time, it is important to reflect on the major strategic areas that could shape Portugal’s future in the coming decades. In a world marked by profound technological, economic, and geopolitical transformations, the countries that prosper and improve the living conditions of their citizens are those that are able to identify the areas where they can make a difference and mobilize the talent of their higher education institutions, research centers, companies, and entrepreneurs around those areas. 

With everyone’s help, I am certain that we will have a Science and Innovation Conference that is meaningful, inspiring, and full of ideas, collaborations, and future achievements.