INESC TEC is part of an alliance working on the ground to transform the energy sector – with results expected by the end of the year 

The challenges are already identified; the next step is to understand how to address them and to transform the energy sector through co-creation, bringing together the entire value chain. This is precisely what the Alliance for the Energy Transition (ATE) – a national-scale innovation agenda designed to support the sector’s competitiveness and resilience – aims to achieve by the end of the year. 

INESC TEC is part of this commitment – which, between September and December, will promote impactful collaborations to accelerate the adoption of technologies that ensure a fair energy transition. How? Through the ATE Open Innovation Programme, a platform to bring organisations closer together and speed up the process of validation, testing and demonstration of solutions that position Portugal at the forefront of Europe’s energy transition. 

To reach this goal, three key concepts come into play: collaboration, innovation and industrial transformation. INESC TEC and Beta-i will combine these until December in an initiative already underway, designed to create partnerships and tailored solutions, while also exploring emerging technologies (some of which may even serve as a showcase for new business opportunities). 

“The programme supports the development of tech challenges with strategic organisations in the sector through co-creation workshops and will facilitate the matching and selection of solutions during online pitch and speed dating sessions. In addition, an online bootcamp is planned to boost mentoring and the co-design of collaborative activities and future follow-up,” explained Manuel Victor Matos, researcher at INESC TEC. 

Two workshops will promote the exchange of ideas and the identification of challenges faced by ATE partners in two critical areas: power & energy systems transformation and sustainable mobility. The feedback will then guide the project in search for robust, tailored technological solutions. 

Later, between November and December, the Open Innovation Programme will move into an evaluation and selection phase to identify the most promising ideas. This will culminate in a bootcamp, where the use cases and challenges identified will be matched with the technological solutions developed within the programme. 

With a total investment of €274 million by 2026, ATE is already running projects aimed at transforming and optimising Portugal’s energy system, engaging the entire energy value chain. The Alliance brings together 80 partners, including companies, R&D institutes, universities, laboratories and public entities. The goal is to create innovative products and solutions, rooted in the real economy, that can be brought to market once the project is completed. 

Key areas include decarbonisation (e.g., in transportation and distribution infrastructures), digitalisation and democratisation of energy – designing energy-efficient products based on renewable sources that are also accessible to households. 

The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC