Portalegre’s specialized lab celebrates its first anniversary

May 6, 2022 – The Portalegre specialized Lab managed by Softinsa and Kyntech Services celebrates its first anniversary today. This center, which had its origins in the signing of the cooperation protocol between the Portalegre City Council, the Portalegre Polytechnic Institute (IPP), Softinsa and IBM Portugal, has been investing in the development and implementation of systems that aim to promote economic and environmental sustainability.

The Lab, located on the IPP Campus, started a year ago with a team dedicated exclusively to projects in the area of ​​IoT – Internet of Things and Smart Cities, and currently has more than 35 employees with additional skills in the areas of Automation, Cloud & Data. Center Facilities, Low-Code Development and SAP.

Since its inauguration, it has been investing in the training and hiring of specialized professionals from the Alentejo region through the signing of protocols with the IPP, for the development of Higher Professional Technical Courses (CTeSP), and with the Instituto do Emprego e Formação (IEFP), for the creation of professional internship programs, as well as the launch of free Training Academies in the most diverse technologies, either face-to-face or remotely.

With the aim of welcoming the approximately 100 professionals expected by 2023, a new building is already being built, adjacent to the current space of BioBIP – Bioenergy and Business Incubator of Portalegre, with a floor area of ​​approximately 500 m2.

Henrique Mourisca, General Director of Softinsa, highlights that “the choice of the city of Portalegre for the installation of our specialized Lab has proved to be a winning bet. The strong partnership we have built with IPP and with the Municipality of Portalegre has allowed Softinsa to grow according to our best forecasts and with the initiatives that we are already outlining together, I believe that our future in Portalegre will be even more promising. .”

For Kyntech Services’ General Manager, Francisco Caeiro, “this is an important moment in Kyntech Services’ growth plan. The commitment to Portalegre comes as a natural step in our expansion strategy in the areas of IoT and Energy Efficiency and also allows us to reinforce our commitment to our customers, to the IPP and to the Municipality of Portalegre. We are proud to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the specialized Lab with all our employees, with the IPP and with the municipality.”

On this 1st anniversary of the Portalegre specialized Lab, the Mayor of Portalegre, Fermelinda Pombo Carvalho, congratulates Softinsa and Kyntech for the work developed within the scope of Smart Cities with a direct impact on the entire Alentejo, noting that “the Municipality of Portalegre is committed to creating value in the local economy, generating new dynamics and reinforcing the ability to attract companies and investment to the territory, which promote the creation of qualified jobs and the establishment of assets in our municipality.”

Luís Loures, President of the Polytechnic of Portalegre, considers this partnership a success story, both for the impact it has in terms of teaching, training and applied research, and for the positive contribution it makes to innovation and capacity building in the region. “The progressive growth of the specialized Lab on our Campus is a differentiating factor not only institutionally, but also regionally and nationally. The location of Softinsa and Kyntech Services, in Portalegre, was a winning bet: they are centers for attracting talent and retaining highly specialized staff, contributing significantly to the digitization of the economy.

This creation of synergies, between the academic world and the business world, has provided our students in the area of ​​technologies with real possibilities of finding a professional outlet here, even before the end of their training, which is immediately evidence that we were right, when we believed in this project!”.

The event that marked the first anniversary of the specialized Lab took place today, at 15:30, in the BioBip Lounge, located on the IPP Campus, and was attended by the President of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Luís Loures, the President of the Municipality of Portalegre, Fermelinda Pombo Carvalho, the General Director of Softinsa, Henrique Mourisca and the General Director of Kyntech Services, Francisco Caeiro.