Deadline: 11 October 2026

As part of the INOVC+ Project, and with the support of the Santander Foundation, UACOOPERA, the University of Aveiro’s Cross-cutting Unit for Cooperation with Society, is organising a new edition of the Proof-of-Concept competition. This competition aims to fund the further development of UA technologies with market application potential, providing an opportunity to enhance R&D outcomes and their transfer to society and the business sector. Technologies from any scientific field may be submitted.

Projects eligible for the competition must be innovative in the market, and their validation/proof of concept must enable them to advance on the TRL scale, thereby facilitating their transfer to the market. Projects must propose new applications of the University of Aveiro R&D&I results.

Applicants

Individuals aged 18 or over, of any nationality, applying either individually or as part of a team, who are members of the UA community and/or who carry out research activities at this higher education institution, are eligible to apply.

Funding

The UA supports the highest-scoring candidate projects, up to a total amount of €40,000.00. The maximum funding for each project is €8,000.00.

This support takes the form of funding for the purchase of raw materials, reagents, consumables and components, as well as the provision of specialist services relevant to the project’s objectives, including, but not limited to, prototyping services, analyses, tests, in-vitro or in-vivo trials, equipment hire, software development services and travel expenses within Portugal.

Expenses relating to human resources, the purchase of equipment, participation in scientific events, travel abroad and expenses related to the protection of industrial property rights are considered ineligible.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted using the form, which can be accessed here (only available in Portuguese). The application must be written in Portuguese.

Supporting information

More detailed information can be found in the Regulation and the Call for Proposals for this competition (both documents only available in Portuguese).