The innovative solutions, supported by information technology, seek to make cities smarter and more sustainable, with zero climate impact, while promoting the well-being of residents. They reflect Portugal’s quality, commitment, and hard work.

The narrative of the digital campaign follows the consumer and communication trends and is based on values that differentiate Portugal’s offer and encourage interest from the international market, such as Sustainability, Know-how, Authenticity, Quality, Design, Innovation and Customization.

The campaign uses in different communication formats, presenting content and themes considered strategic, according to the target markets, through various media outlets. It was born under the brand identity Portugal Makes Sense, created to ensure the perception of Portugal as an innovative country, creating projects that improve the quality of life and contribute to a more sustainable future, with neutral impact on climate change.

Aveiro is part of a European project – LIFE PAYT – whose main goal is to help municipalities to adopt PAYT – pay as you throw – municipal waste rates in order to encourage waste prevention and separation, thus contributing to a more efficient management of European resources and the implementation of environmental policies.

Focused on the development of innovative solutions, Ubiwhere created Smart Waste. The Smart Waste Management System intends to facilitate the management of urban waste collection in cities. For this system to work, sensors with low energy consumption and high durability are placed in traditional waste containers. Through these sensors it is possible to keep track of the status of the container, its location and safety, which results in an increase of efficiency by the collection team.

In order to improve the living conditions of people and communities, Ubiwhere develops solutions adjusted to the needs and maturity of each territory, in a logic of interoperability. There are more than 60 cities in the world where technology, made by Ubiwhere, is today providing cities with better information resources and decision support.

The post-pandemic scenario, climate change, the impact of the war in Europe, and the consequent energy crisis driving inflation that shows no signs of slowing down, brought the urgency of coming up with new innovative strategies to solve the existing crisis and promise a better future. How? By betting on smart cities and making use of information technology.

Smart mobility can be an engine for environmental sustainability and can generate an economic and social ecosystem that is based on innovation, technology, and new companies that create jobs.

In Cascais, the first steps toward a smarter city are already being taken through innovative projects from start-ups such as Omniflow.

The start-up OmniFlow wants to improve the experience of the inhabitants at bus stops and attract more people to this type of transport. The solution involves using renewable energies, smart led lights and having a security camera system for data aggregation, so that it is possible to understand the flow of people at bus stops. How is this possible? Through products developed by the company such as Omniled, Omnibench and Omniled 07.

Omniled is, according to the official website,” a smart IoT light pole powered by wind and solar energy, with integrated energy storage and connection to the network that enables multiple integrated devices.”. The Omnibench is a “smart urban bench designed for public spaces and patented by Omniflow.”

Omniflow operates in the smart energy sector and, according to Pedro Ruão, CEO of Omniflow, aims to continue investing in the plan to “grow its activity by strengthening the management team in the areas of software development, IoT and commercial as well as promoting the consolidation of an internationalization strategy.”

The largest research and development center in the country and home to technological innovation, Altice Labs, has developed the Live! ecosystem, which provides municipalities with information on the urban context to support decision making. It emerges as a solution to the problems of the urban ecosystem such as mobility, lighting, energy, among others. It provides solutions to problems that the offline world can no longer respond to as quickly and effectively.

Altice Labs, recognized in the national and international market, created the platform that has the Live!Data tool. This tool collects and stores data coming from different sources and puts them under a common information model that allows the execution of analytics. Live!Urban, also a part of the Live! Ecosystem, uses the features of Live!Data to provide policy makers and municipal technicians with an aggregated perspective of the different domains – mobility, lighting, energy- in a single portal.

This is just one of the projects that Altice Labs has developed and to which it makes continuous improvements, with a view to continued investment and innovative solutions that enable municipalities to respond to the needs of their environments and move in a more futuristic and smart direction.

Smart mobility can be an engine for environmental sustainability and can generate an economic and social ecosystem that is based on innovation, technology, and new companies that create jobs.

In Cascais, the first steps toward a smarter city are already being taken through innovative projects in the mobility sector.

The city has a pioneering model of free public road transport for residents, students, and workers of the municipality as a means of encouraging the use of public transport as well as other ways of transport such as soft mobility – like electric scooters.  Users can access this network through an app, Mobicascais, available throughout the municipality. The municipality has also adopted the expansion of green spaces in the area as part of its environmental sustainability strategy. And it doesn’t stop there.

Three Portuguese start-ups are responsible for three different pilot projects that aim to improve smart mobility in Cascais.

Elena Ziller, Commercial Director at OpenMove, presented the company project as a sustainable transport solution. It aims to offer the population the possibility the freedom to move. OpenMove aims, through an app, to adjust the offer to different needs. To this end, flexible bus schedules will be made available so that it is faster to travel from point A to point B. As an alternative to the app, a contact center will also be created for the elderly population, offering a more personalized contact.

OmniFlow – another start-up, wants to improve the experience of residents at bus stops and attract more people to this type of transport. The solution is to use renewable energies, such as having a system of security cameras that provide aggregating data, so that it is possible to perceive the flow of people at the stops.

Lastly, the start-up Childfy – a shared trips project for school-goers founded by Juan Arevalo – aims to provide a service that allows families to have access to a carpooling system for their children. How does it work? The user can sign up through the app. It is a “closed” system, in which those who belonged to a particular school are enrolled. This means that no one “outside” will be able to sign up for the application or access the data and personal information. The start-up handles all the legal issues, and the families will need to sign a permit.

Projects that aim to make cities smarter add up. They are a step towards the future and represent Portugal as a SMART country that wants to do more for its inhabitants, while aiming and to open new markets and conquer entrepreneurs and investments.

The fair was a unique opportunity for the country. Municipalities and companies were able to present and showcase directly to the international community projects that are already running as well as ones being tested in order to provide innovative solutions. Lisbon, Porto, Guimarães, Famalicão and Braga were some of the municipalities present among the exhibitors. On the company side, the booth featured Altice, AVPro, Focus BC, CEiiA and Wavecom.

Although the sector is still waiting for the publication of the National Strategy for Smart Cities, the Secretary of State for Internationalization, Bernardo Ivo Cruz, attended the event and guaranteed that the strategy is “central to the Government’s policy.” He also highlighted the quality and innovation presented by the national sector as well as the importance of presenting innovative solutions for the new economy, “If we look around, we find very intelligent solutions to problems not only in cities, but also in regions and even countries (…) The secret of the new economy that begins to emerge in the 21th century is intelligence; this industrial revolution is an intelligence revolution and we have that to give and sell”.

During the fair and the presentation of the projects, the partnership between all Portuguese municipalities stood out, which, according to Bernardo Ivo Cruz, in a statement to the magazine Smart Cities, “is the key ingredient for a more comfortable life, more economic growth, more quality of life – and must involve all agents.”

The coordination and organization aspects regarding Portugal’s presence at the fair were managed by AICEP – Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade of Portugal and NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab of NOVA Information Management School (IMS), with the support of the Portugal Consulate in Barcelona and the Delegation of AICEP/Economic and Commercial Section – Embassy of Portugal in Spain.

The project, created through the concept of what a Smart City needs to be, involves lots of technology in its creation but the prominent role belongs to the people. It is a municipal program that aims to implement actions that create a more sustainable, greener and a more innovative city, with a modernized public management that promotes diversity and equal opportunities among citizens. Behind the defined strategy is the Urban Agenda 2030, defined by the United Nations, which contains the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the Urban Agenda for the European Union and the Territorial Agenda 2030.

The B-Smart project includes a platform and the “Famalicão Your Place” App that allow citizens to have a more active and participatory voice in the management and services of the municipality.

To obtain answers to the question as well as the eating habits of the inhabitants, the food options of each one, and the quality of public spaces in the parish of Ajuda, the citizen’s habits were studied and analyzed for a year. The reduced supply of healthier food options, the location of markets with the freshest food, time, food knowledge, and money – an issue aggravated by the current inflation – are some of the reasons why urban environments impact the health of their residents.

The Lisbon CCD stated that this analysis allowed “to generate a set of recommendations and initiatives that aim to create conditions more conducive to better health and greater physical and social well-being of the population, especially among those who have fewer opportunities to healthier choices.”

Established in 2014, Cities Changing Diabetes already includes more than 40 cities and 150 partner organizations. Lisbon joined the initiative in 2019, with several partners united in responding to the challenge of diabetes and obesity.