| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
Coimbra is home to the country’s oldest and most prestigious university founded in 1290. Seven hundred years ago, Coimbra’s university taught medieval basics like law, medicine, and theology. Later, as Portuguese sailors were navigating the globe, astronomy, and geometry were added. So it’s no stretch to say that, based on the history of the university and by extension the town itself, Coimbra is ahead of its time in terms of its smarts. And now, the city is making moves toward being not only smart, but healthy, innovative, and sustainable.
The Municipality of Coimbra recently shared this video detailing the ways in which it is making this dream a reality by connecting, humanizing, and innovating its public services for a better present, and perhaps more importantly, a better future for all.
José Nunes, Dot Coordinator at the Coimbra-based IPBN member company Sleeklab said, “More than being part of the production of this clip on Coimbra s Smart City of the future, I am very proud of this city that despite the enormous challenges it faces, is trying to modernize in various sectors such as mobility and sustainability in the use of its resources.”
In fact, Smart Talks did an episode in October on the future of mobility in Coimbra. See what the expert panelists had to say here:
Traveling further north to Matosinhos, we are seeing more efforts to do things smartly, a trend the city has been enjoying for at least the last six years. According to this article in SmartCities.pt, with a true housing policy capable of uniting the challenges of the sector in the Local Housing Strategy, the city is redoubling its efforts began back in 2017. In fact, the city recently signed an agreement with the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU) that will free up 57 million euros in housing solutions. “The municipality is preparing to launch the program ‘Matosinhos: Casa Acessível,’ a new opportunity for landlords and tenants, based on affordable leasing and aimed at audiences that do not respond to the current housing situation, such as the middle class or young people in an active working life and students.”
In 2018 in Graz, Austria, The European Commission (EC) announced that the Living Lab carbon-zero of Matosinhos, a project developed in collaboration between the Municipality and CEiiA, was awarded the European Prize for Business Promotion. They noted, “Among the 503 projects presented by 32 different countries, the Portuguese project was the winner in the category “Support for the Development of Ecological Markets and Resource Efficiency,” providing for the creation of a local carbon market where citizens are rewarded for having behaviors of mobility that aim to save CO2 emissions.” The article goes on to say, “With their “Ayrcredits” platform developed by CEiiA, it is now possible to monitor, in real-time, the avoided carbon emissions and the impact of the living laboratory activity in the intervention zone and in the city as a whole.”
Should you care to share any concerns or insights with those in the know, the city council of Matosinhos is inviting all to join their council meetings every last Wednesday of each month at 15h (and whenever it coincides with a holiday, it is transferred to the next business day). Find out more about the executive panel and meeting information here.
The IPBN is excited to explore more on the topic of Energy Efficiency Solutions, especially when it comes to Energy Transition with Margarida Correia Pires, Head of Business Development/New Downstream at EDP. Claudia Coelho Partner at PwC Portugal will join her on stage to give her take on energy efficiency in terms of Sustainable Business Solutions, alongside comments and insights from Declan Wynne, MD, CEO of the IPBN Executive Partner company Skanstec Engineering on what practical engineering solutions across the energy sector Skanstec is offering.
Declan told the IPBN in the above recent podcast, “Each and every one of us has a duty to do more when it comes to sustainability and from a business perspective, I believe that responsibility is greater. At Skanstec we are extremely fortunate to be working in the sector where we can positively contribute to climate change daily as a specialist engineering company delivering key infrastructure projects…”
Meanwhile, in the same podcast, Claudia added, “[PwC] really feel(s) that this is the moment [Sustainability] has gotten to the latest agenda. It’s no longer a ‘nice to have,’ but a ‘must have’ in order to thrive in the current world. And it’s decisive for access to financing and the success of the products that companies put on the market.”
We are excited to welcome the above two panelists to chat with Margarida, who recently shared some news that “EDP Comercial has just announced the launch of another local energy community in Caldas da Rainha in partnership with AIRO. EDP will be installing a solar plant with a 1MWp capacity and 18.000 solar panels, allowing any company located within a 4km radius to join this community and benefit from a discount of around 50% in their energy price.”
If you haven’t already, please register to join the above speakers and the rest of the IPBN at this important conference to discuss and engage in Sustainability that will lead both you, your business, and the planet toward a greener and more bountiful future. Registration is available here as well as the program thus far.
| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
