Meet the 10 Finalist Projects of HiTech 2026
HiTech 2026 is approaching its Closing Session, where ten finalist projects will present the business cases developed around the deep tech technologies they have advanced over the past four months.
Throughout the programme, participating teams have worked on transforming scientific and technological knowledge into market-oriented solutions, supported by experienced mentors and a structured training journey focused on technology commercialization. The 2026 edition featured two distinct tracks:
The HiTech 2026 Closing Session will take place on 1 July 2026, from 14:00 to 17:30, at the Tivoli Theatre in Lisbon.
The finalist projects span fields including advanced materials, biotechnology, healthcare, renewable energy, electronics, food safety, and industrial sustainability, showcasing the diversity and quality of innovation being developed by Portuguese research teams.
Here is a sneak peek at the ten projects that will be presented:
Circle transforms industrial plastic by-products into sustainable binders for applications such as MDF boards, cork agglomerates, and textile adhesives. The technology converts post-industrial foam scraps into customizable powders with tunable properties, reducing landfill disposal, VOC emissions, and dependence on virgin petrochemical resins while lowering production costs and supporting circular economy goals.
Team: Nuno Gama, Bruno Godinho
Institution: University of Aveiro
DeepWood enables in-situ colouring of MDF panels using Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) technology. Colour is generated within the material rather than applied on the surface, improving uniformity, penetration, and durability while reducing chemical use and enabling more sustainable industrial processing.
Team: Catarina Gomes, João Restivo, Juliana Sousa, Soraia Fernandes, Tânia Graínha
Institution: International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)
FlexForge is a modular prototyping platform for flexible electronic circuits that provides flexible substrates containing arrays of prefabricated, discrete, electronic building blocks. Users create and test circuit configurations by interconnecting these devices, eliminating the need to fabricate new electronic components for each circuit design iteration. This approach enables rapid prototyping and experimentation with flexible electronic systems while significantly reducing development time, cost, and complexity.
Team: Ângelo Santos, Emanuel Carlos, Maria Pereira, Sara Silvestre, Pedro Barquinha
Institution: NOVA FCT
GlioBrain-Plate is a 3D artificial cell-based mini brain model that mimics the human glioblastoma by keeping an intact brain's protective barrier, a crucial feature in the brain tumor environment. It integrates drug into-brain transport and anti-cancer efficacy assessment in a single test. The technology aims to be incorporated into early stages of drug screening pipelines from pharmaceutical companies, ensuring a better selection of promising drug candidates, before moving to more expensive studies. It delivers fast, reproducible, and cost-effective results, reliably translated to the clinical scenario.
Team: Cecília Ferreira, Ana Olival, Cláudia Martins, Diana Ribeiro
Institution: Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S)
NEXUS addresses one of the critical challenges associated with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), an advanced life-support therapy that temporarily performs the functions of the heart and lungs in critically ill patients. Because any interruption of ECMO support can become critical within seconds, circuit components must be replaced safely and efficiently as they wear over time. NEXUS has developed solutions that enable continuous ECMO circuit exchange, providing healthcare professionals with greater control and response time while improving patient safety.
Team: Gustavo Mendes, Ricardo Rosa, Inês Lourenço
Institution: University of Porto
OBSIDIAN is a magnetic field-driven technology for superior black performance in MDF and other substrates. By combining sustainable pigment chemistry with magnetically assisted methods, OBSIDIAN promotes microscale pigment distribution for deep and uniform blackness. The formulation is tunable to enhance moisture barrier, thermal resistance, and surface wetting properties. OBSIDIAN is a versatile technology that allows for an expanded color palette and consistent premium quality through the power of magnetism.
Team: Cláudia Batista Lopes, Bernardo Norte, Tito Trindade
Institution: University of Aveiro
PEROVflex proposes high-efficiency perovskite solar mini-modules for electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and other low-power indoor electronics. The technology converts indoor light into electricity, enabling battery-free operation even under very low light conditions. Its thin, flexible, and lightweight form factor supports innovative ESL designs and easy integration into compact devices. By reducing battery waste, maintenance needs, and operational costs, PEROVflex offers a sustainable and cost-effective solution for smarter retail systems.
Team: Andrés Soto, Joana Príncipe, Luís Santos, Vera Duarte
Institution: Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP)
PetriTag is a microbiological sensing tag and platform for the real-time spoilage monitoring in food packaging. By integrating responsive culture-based indicators into packaging systems, it enables early contamination detection, supports predictive decision-making across the supply chain, reduces food waste, and improves food safety through accessible, scalable, and sustainable monitoring solutions.
Team: Bruno Veigas, Mafalda Pereira, Tomás Pires, João Resende
Institution: AlmaScience
SPARCS is the next-generation in adaptive and modular solar platforms, designed to let anyone assemble, scale, and reconfigure solar energy systems without tools, cables, or technical expertise. Featuring independent photovoltaic modules with integrated electronics and articulated connectors, SPARCS forms flexible, high-performance solar arrays that adapt to uneven surfaces, changing conditions, and evolving energy needs.
Team: Rui G. Gonçalves, António T. Vicente, Manuel J. Mendes
Institution: NOVA University Lisbon
Y-Sense is developing a rapid biosensor for the detection of harmful bacteria in aquaculture systems. By combining optical fiber technology with highly selective IgY antibodies, the platform enables bacterial detection in approximately one hour, compared to the several days typically required by conventional laboratory methods. Y-Sense aims to help aquaculture producers reduce disease-related losses, strengthen biosecurity, and make faster operational decisions through accessible and cost-effective monitoring performed directly on-site.
Team: Lucas Pereira, Bernardo Tavares, Simone Soares
Institution: University of Aveiro
The HiTech 2026 Closing Session offers an opportunity to discover the innovative solutions being developed by Portuguese research teams and to engage with researchers, industry representatives, investors, and innovation ecosystem stakeholders.
Follow #HiTechProjects2026 on our social channels to explore the projects in more detail.
Seats are limited. Reserve yours here
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