Where Science Meets the Market: Join the Closing Session of HiTech 2025!
Don’t miss the Closing Session of HiTech 2025 — the final milestone of the program, where fourteen research teams will take the stage to pitch the business cases behind the product concepts they developed over the past four months.
Each team has worked on transforming deep tech research into a market-ready solution, with the support of experienced mentors and through an intensive, hands-on training journey. The 2025 edition featured two distinct tracks:
The HiTech 2025 Closing Session will take place on June 26, from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM, at Teatro Thalia in Lisbon. Registrations are available here.
Here is a sneak peek at the 14 projects that will be presented:
Designed OptiCap, an innovative temperature battery design and manufacturing service that enables the creation of capsules in any shape by combining multiple polymers and phase change materials in a single process. Unlike traditional blow or injection molding, our 3D printing-based system offers unmatched design freedom, fast iteration, and structural integration. This enables precise optimization and unlocks high-performance applications in thermal systems for construction, cold chain logistics, and beyond.
Team: Cláudia Amaral, Fernando Neto, João Dias-de-Oliveira, Miguel Moreira and Tiago Silva
Institution: University of Aveiro
Mentor: Filipe Aguiar
AdDisTec offers tailored services for biofouling control and certified testing of antibiofouling solutions. By combining scientific expertise with a unique and patented testing platform—the Multi-Cylinders Biofilm Reactor (MCBR)—AdDisTec optimizes biocide application, prevents costly system downtimes, and ensures regulatory compliance. The technology-driven approach delivers measurable value through cost savings, increased operational efficiency, and enhanced safety across different sectors.
Team: Anabela Portela Borges, Ana Cristina Afonso, Ana Rita Pereira, Inês Bezerra Gomes and Manuel Simões
Institution: Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP)
Mentor: Gustavo Oliveira, Jaime Souza and Jorge Martins
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around 2.9 million people globally. Of those, 10–15% develop primary progressive MS (PPMS), a severe form marked by worsening symptoms and disability. Despite its burden, there are currently no effective therapies for PPMS, making it a critical unmet need. To address this, Aila Biotech combine biological insight with advanced technology to develop a virus-based delivery system that offers a precise, controlled, and patient-tailored therapy — aiming to halt neuroinflammation and slow disease progression.
Team: Matthew G. Holt, James Dooley, Joana Paes de Faria and Nânci Monteiro Abreu
Institutions: Aila Biotech and i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health
Mentor: Richard Hampson
BioDiffuse developed a unique bio-based formulation that enhances surface opacity by scattering and diffusing light. Its optical properties can be tuned to create effects like color variations. The coating also reflects near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet (UV) light, offering protection from radiation damage. Designed as a sustainable whitening and opacifying agent, it aims to replace titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in applications such as cosmetics, paper, decorative wood panels, light-diffusing coatings, and functional films.
Team: Afonso Eva, Cátia Lopes Soares, Iana Lychko and Inês Padrão
Institution: NOVA FCT, Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO)
Mentor: António Dinis
CONTARGET is a lab-on-a-chip platform engineered for swift, on-site multiplex detection of foodborne pathogens. Its patented dual-recognition technology delivers high-precision results at the production line in under 40 minutes, supporting real-time decisions that avert outbreaks. The easy-to-use cartridge system is highly customizable and can be rapidly reconfigured for emerging threats, providing industry the flexibility to adapt and meet the most stringent regulatory requirements.
Team: Cláudia Maciel and Sérgio Sousa
Institution: Faculty of Biotechnology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (ESB/UCP)
Mentor: Ana Pereira and Marisol Cardoso
EMTex is an innovative technology that transforms traditional fabrics into advanced electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding textiles. It protects electronics from malfunctions and security breaches while reducing harmful EM radiation exposure. Lightweight, flexible, and durable, EMTex meets regulatory standards and offers a sustainable, cost-effective solution. Customizable for applications from defense and aerospace to healthcare and consumer electronics, it’s a smart choice for a safer, connected future.
Team: Catarina Fernandes, Mónica Simões, Rita Baptista and Sumita Goswami
Institution: Alma Science
Mentor: Vitor Sérgio Moreira
HydroClean is a reusable antimicrobial microparticle solution for disinfecting ultrapure water (UPW) systems. It provides strong biocidal action without chemical release, removes biofilms and micropollutants, and adsorbs antimicrobial resistance genes. Achieving up to 100% bacterial reduction, it lowers maintenance, prevents defects, and ensures high water purity. It is ideal for UPW used in power, semiconductor, and electronics industries, as well as for post-treatment in reuse, desalination, and environmental protection.
Team: Ana Rosa Silva and Marta Redondo
Institution: Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP)
Mentor: Isabel Moutinho
iPROLEPSIS is a digital therapeutic solution that uses serious games to support Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) treatment, a condition affecting 1–2% of the global population. It targets symptoms like mobility, pain, breathing, and emotions, combining engaging gameplay with therapeutic benefits. The game adapts to biometric and performance data to personalize care. Co-designed with patients, clinicians, and researchers through an agile process, iPROLEPSIS offers an accessible, adaptive, and holistic approach to PsA management.
Team: Bárbara Ramalho, Filipa Magalhães, Samuel Gomes, Sandra Gomes and Sofia Dias Balula
Institutions: Técnico and Faculty for Human Kinetics (FMH) from University of Lisbon
Mentor: Manuel Silva
LignoBeauty valorizes lignin, an industrial by-product, by transforming it into a high-value, multifunctional ingredient for the cosmetics industry. The technology converts lignin—a material with significant structural variability and limited compatibility with aqueous systems—into the Ligno product: a stable, ready-to-use cosmetic ingredient. It offers stabilizing, antioxidant, and sun-protection properties, providing a sustainable and effective solution for modern cosmetic formulations.
Team: Arthur Baldomero Taques, Giovana Colucci and Gleidcy Rocha
Institution: IPB - Polytechnic Institute of Bragança
Mentor: Bruno Primo Diniz
Opak developed a 100% cellulose-based hydrochromic ink changes from white to transparent on contact with water, revealing hidden images. Unlike conventional inks, it is pigment-free, avoiding issues like agglomeration, toxic compounds, reduced shelf-life, and equipment abrasion. It offers fast response time and improved durability. Versatile applications include smart packaging, moisture indicators, marketing, textiles with dynamic designs, security printing, educational tools, and interactive art - all with enhanced sustainability and recyclability.
Team: Cristina Gaspar, Mariana Matias and Tomás Freire
Institution: Alma Science
Mentor: Marisa Loureiro
OrganTECH is a human organoid-based drug screening service for pharma, biotech, and startups aiming to improve preclinical predictability. Patient-derived organoids replicate human tissue structure and function, enabling earlier, more accurate assessments of drug safety and efficacy. Unlike animal models or cell lines, OrganTECH supports a “fail fast, fail early” approach, reduces costs and timelines, and helps bring safer, more effective therapies to market while promoting regulatory innovation and reduced animal testing.
Team: Cláudia Miranda and Mariana Branco
Institution: Accelbio
Mentor: Luís Gomes
As life expectancy grows, conditions favoring non-healing wounds are becoming more common. Diabetes, vascular diseases, and impaired mobility often lead to ulcers that get infected, causing high morbidity and mortality. This is worsened by antimicrobial-resistant microbes, and new solutions are urgently needed. PEPILSKIN is a novel product that combines antimicrobial and wound-healing action, representing a strong candidate to be further developed as a topical treatment for diabetic foot ulcers.
Team: Ana Gomes, Cristina Prudêncio, Lídia Fonseca, Ricardo Ferraz and Paula Gomes
Institutions: Faculty of Science of University of Porto, School of Health of Polytechnic Institute of Porto, and U.Porto Inovação
Mentor: Cátia C. Magro
Pure2U transforms sunlight-exposed surfaces into active agents for indoor air purification. By integrating a photoactive additive into coatings, it enables surfaces to degrade volatile organic compounds and airborne pollutants using only natural light. This sustainable, low-maintenance innovation improves indoor air quality, reduces public health risks, and lowers healthcare costs. Pure2U turns passive surfaces into smart, self-cleaning systems that support healthier environments and better living.
Team: Diana Tkachuk, Hugo Raposo, Rodrigo Mendes, Olinda Monteiro and Virgínia Ferreira
Institutions: Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon and Iscte - University Institute of Lisbon
Mentor: Frederico Carpinteiro
R-Screen targets R-loops, nucleic acid structures elevated in cancer. Cells rely on specific pathways to resolve R-loops and maintain genome integrity, but these are often deregulated in cancer, creating a vulnerability. To exploit this, R-Screen developed RHINO, a novel live-cell R-loop detection tool. Using this platform, they aim to identify drugs that boost R-loop levels, selectively killing cancer cells while sparing healthy ones — offering a promising path to more effective and less toxic cancer therapies.
Team: Madalena R. de Almeida and Robert Martin
Institution: GIMM - Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
Mentor: Paulo Osswald
Whether you’re passionate about science, curious about tech, or inspired by innovation — this session is for you.
Follow #HiTechProjects2025 on our social channels to explore the projects in more detail.
Seats are limited. Reserve yours now: https://hitech25closingsession.eventbrite.pt/
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