Innovation rarely begins in the marketplace. More often, it starts in laboratories, classrooms, and research centers, where ideas are tested long before they become products, businesses, or industries. The challenge for many regions is not generating knowledge, but ensuring that knowledge reaches entrepreneurs capable of transforming discovery into economic opportunity. For the Azores, that bridge between science and enterprise is becoming an increasingly important pillar of its development strategy.
Speaking at an event dedicated to the European Union’s Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, Regional Vice President Artur Lima called for stronger collaboration between researchers and the private sector, arguing that the Region’s future competitiveness depends on converting scientific knowledge into innovation-driven economic growth.
The meeting, held Thursday at TERINOV – Terceira Island Science and Technology Park, introduced businesses, researchers, and institutional partners to the European program, which is financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and designed to support collaborative innovation projects with international potential.
Addressing participants, Lima stressed that the Azores must “prepare tomorrow by valuing and transferring knowledge between those who conduct research and those who create businesses,” advocating what he described as “a genuine symbiosis in which innovative ideas respond to the concrete challenges facing the Azores and the Azorean people.”
He encouraged entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovation partners to submit ambitious proposals under the I3 program, describing the European initiative as “an open door to growth and internationalization.”
“The Azores are not starting from zero,” Lima said. “We have talent, vision, and proven results. There is already a solid body of experience and enormous potential that can—and must—be harnessed by our businesses.”
His remarks reflect the Regional Government’s broader strategy of positioning innovation as a driver of economic diversification in an archipelago traditionally dependent on sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. By strengthening collaboration between universities, research institutions, and private companies, policymakers hope to accelerate the emergence of new industries built on knowledge, technology, and advanced research.
Lima pointed to the European Commission’s designation of the Azores in 2024 as a Regional Innovation Valley as evidence that the Region has already gained international recognition for its progress.
He described the distinction as “well-deserved recognition of the work and progress that we have achieved together,” while cautioning that continued success will require sustained effort.
“We cannot become complacent,” he warned. “We must continue along this path.”
The Vice President also highlighted the recent expansion of the Azores’ Smart Specialisation Strategy, which now incorporates emerging fields such as health sciences, space technologies, and data science alongside the Region’s more established research priorities.
At the same time, the Regional Government has introduced incentives for doctoral research carried out within businesses, encouraging closer collaboration between academic institutions and the private sector.
“Our objective is to stimulate the growth and innovation of our business community on the foundation of scientific knowledge,” Lima explained.
Among the government’s most significant structural reforms is the ongoing reorganization of the Region’s scientific ecosystem into a new framework known as CoRe.
According to Lima, the initiative is designed to create a more integrated and innovation-oriented research system by bringing together scientific research, technology transfer organizations, business innovation, and scientific literacy under a single legal framework. The aim is to strengthen coordination between institutions while making research more directly relevant to economic and social development.
The Vice President also highlighted INOVAR2030, the Regional Government’s incentive program designed to expand research and innovation capacity within Azorean businesses while promoting the adoption of advanced technologies across the economy.
Together, these initiatives reflect an increasingly ambitious vision for the Region—one in which innovation is not viewed as an isolated academic endeavor but as a practical engine for economic transformation.
For island regions, where geographic distance has historically limited economic opportunities, innovation offers a different kind of connectivity. Digital technologies, scientific research, aerospace, health sciences, and advanced data applications allow ideas developed in the Azores to compete in global markets without being constrained by physical distance. Programs such as the European I3 Instrument seek to accelerate precisely this transition, helping smaller regions translate local expertise into international partnerships and commercial success.
As the Azores continue investing in science parks, research institutions, university partnerships, and innovation ecosystems, the Region is increasingly defining its future not only through its natural resources but also through its intellectual capital. The challenge ahead will be ensuring that discoveries made in laboratories become businesses that create jobs, attract investment, and contribute to a more diversified and resilient island economy.
From a story in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-diector. Photos from DI and TERINOV.
