Faria e Castro highlights the Azores as pilot region for innovation - Communication

Subsecretário Regional da Presidência

The Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency, Pedro de Faria e Castro, highlighted in Ponta Delgada "resilience, creativity and networking" as determining factors for the Azorean society to innovate in times of pandemic.

"This meeting addressed to our international partners and open to Azorean society is another example of our commitment to disseminate this project and put the Azores on the innovation map at the regional and international level," said the government official. He participated, via videoconference, in the opening session of the workshop"Innovation in Pandemic Times," as part of the Innovation Islands project under the INTERREG Europe Programme.

On the occasion, Pedro de Faria e Castro announced that "a series of actions will be developed, involving training and sharing of good practices at local, regional and international level on several Azorean islands." In this context, he recalled that the Azores have become a "pilot region" under the extension of that project until September 2022

This international workshop was based on the presentation of three cases of innovation in the archipelago that stood out during the pandemic in the digital field (Azores Digital Innovation Hub project - NONAGON), entrepreneurship (InUAC - Business Incubator of the University of the Azores) and tourism (Azores Getaways). It was promoted among international partners, namely Friesland (Netherlands), Samso (Denmark), Kuressaare (Estonia) and Madeira (Portugal).

The extension of the Innovation Islands project, which falls under the INTERREG Europe Programme | Research & Innovation Axis, focuses on opportunities to diversify the economies of the project's partner regions. They are aimed at improving their innovation policies, enhancing new activities and products, and encouraging entrepreneurship in the project's geographical areas in order to promote the exchange of good practices among members.