Eye to eye and in several meetings in a relatively short space of time, Algarve and Andalusian entrepreneurs got to know each other better and sought to discover new business opportunities. The cycle of conferences «Inovar Algarve» started yesterday, Wednesday and wasted no time in moving from words to action.
Today, Thursday, this logic of approximation between agents linked to knowledge will be continued, but in a different and more comprehensive costume. From 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, the first thematic work sessions will take place, open to all who want to participate, at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve, in Gambelas.
In these sessions, which will take place in parallel, two by two, entrepreneurs and researchers will participate, in what will be an attempt to bring the two worlds closer together. Whoever has the most to gain, in the organization's view, is the regional and national economy.
The meetings are open to the general public and will address different areas of knowledge. This morning, sessions will be held simultaneously on «Sea: Coastal Management, Marine Technologies and Resources» and «Tourism: Modalities, Destinations, Products and Behaviors».
Between 15 pm and 17 pm, the same model is repeated, but this time the sessions will focus on the themes “Health, Food and Well-Being” and “Arts and Heritage: Media, Arts and Technology”.
Throughout the day there will also be several presentations made by specialists in different areas, under the general theme «University of the Algarve as a Vehicle of Innovation».
Bilateral meetings sought to bring entrepreneurs closer
Bilateral meetings between entrepreneurs are an increasingly common practice of promoting contacts and networking between entrepreneurs and marked the first day of the initiative promoted by the University of Algarve (UAlg), through CRIA-Division of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer.
The so-called “B2B Mettings” sessions brought together 43 representatives from 39 companies on both sides of the border, from the most varied sectors of activity. In common, they have the fact that they are technology-based companies, many of them with strong links to the university environment.
A good example is that of the Algarve communication design company Design Thinkin, which was present with two representatives. Two elements of the company that was created last year as part of the 2011 Ideas in Box project did not want to miss the opportunity to expand their network of contacts and the possibility to evolve in terms of knowledge.
«For us, all issues related to entrepreneurship and technology transfer within the university to the business world are fundamental», summarized company founder António Lacerda.
“The idea here is to see what we can give to other entities and create partnerships. In addition to business opportunities», added Bruno Rodrigues, one of the students whom António Lacerda challenged to join the young project.
In the case of the «B2B Mettings» of «Inovar Algarve», we opted for a model where CRIA suggested meetings between companies that share common interests. «The entrepreneurs registered on the site and we, based on the answers to a series of questions, chose three companies with which they would meet», revealed Miguel Viegas, from CRIA.
During the break between two meetings with his peers, Paulo Pedro, from Caviar Portugal, revealed that he has participated in many meetings of this kind, indoors and out.
«These meetings are fun to establish a network of contacts, to establish a network of contacts that we would hardly find. The direct, immediate result is often not very tangible, as we are talking about small meetings, between people who often do not even know each other», he said.
But, as their experience proves, they can be kick-starts for interesting partnerships. "Today I spoke with people who had already spoken in a previous meeting, with whom we are developing projects and we had already agreed to meet here again".
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