Innovation doesn’t live only in big cities. In the interior of Portugal, where challenges are different and resources scarcer, some of the most creative and transformative solutions often emerge. This is the philosophy of the Promove Programme – The Future of the Interior, an initiative of the “la Caixa” Foundation, in partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and with the collaboration of BPI, which in its 7th edition, in 2025, reinforced its commitment to the sustainable development of the country’s inland territories.
In total, €6.4 million in non-refundable grants were awarded to 33 projects and 20 innovative ideas, selected from 125 applications. The funding is distributed across 19 innovative pilot projects, 14 mobilising research and development projects, and 20 ideas with potential to evolve, mainly covering the Centre and Alentejo regions, but also the North and the Algarve.
Among the winners are initiatives that combine science, technology and local identity: Olive4Cereal, which transforms waste from the olive oil industry into agricultural biostimulants; DOURORISK, which creates digital tools to predict and prevent natural risks; and ROTA – Mértola, the last port, which turns historical and river heritage into a driver of sustainable development.
Also within the mobilising R&D line, projects such as SiARA, which applies artificial intelligence and robotics to the management of the Alentejo steppe, or AQUArestore, which promotes the ecological restoration of inland rivers and streams, show how science can respond to concrete community problems.
Among the Innovative Ideas, proposals such as Eco-Pack, which creates biodegradable packaging based on regional materials, or GrapeChips, which reuses grape by-products to produce functional foods, demonstrate that a sustainable future often begins with small prototypes and big vision.
Since 2019, the Promove Programme has already mobilised more than €23.4 million and supported 132 projects and 47 innovative ideas, establishing itself as one of the main investment platforms for innovation outside major urban centres.
Ultimately, the goal is simple but ambitious: to make the interior a territory of opportunities. Because — as the spirit of the programme underlines — the future is not built only where there are more people, but where there is a stronger desire to stay and better reasons to do so.