Today, Friday, June 27, PIEP – Centre for Innovation in Polymer Engineering inaugurated a new unit at the Cerveira Innovation Center (CIC) in Vila Nova de Cerveira, at a ceremony attended by institutional and business representatives from the northern region and Galicia. The project aims to boost industrial innovation and increase business competitiveness by leveraging the creation of synergies on both sides of the border.

This new unit is the result of a protocol between PIEP and the Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira and is part of a strategy for industrial, scientific, and technological development in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, with a focus on the digital, ecological, and industrial transition.

PIEP’s new space covers more than 200 m² and will house 20 employees who will be involved in various innovation projects, most notably GreenHUB, a strategic cross-border cooperation initiative with Galicia focused on sustainability and innovation. By the end of 2025, this center is expected to contribute around 400,000 euros to PIEP’s overall turnover through the projects it manages.

“This investment is not only in line with the specific needs of the local and regional productive fabric, but also aims to strengthen Alto Minho’s position as a territory of innovation, knowledge, and cross-border industrial valorization,” says Nuno Guimarães, Chairman of PIEP’s Board of Directors. “We are certain that this new hub will be an engine of technological transformation for companies in the region, promoting collaborative innovation and strengthening the link between Portugal and Galicia.”

The Mayor of Vila Nova de Cerveira, Rui Teixeira, said that “Vila Nova de Cerveira is taking another decisive step in affirming its role as a territory of innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. The inauguration of the Cerveira Innovation Centre and the formalization of an agreement with the Polymer Engineering Innovation Pole (PIEP) is yet another sign of the affirmation of our municipality as a territory of knowledge, technological development, and industrial valorization. This partnership is a catalyst for opportunities for companies, young talent, and the local economy, putting Cerveira at the forefront of sustainable innovation.”

António Cunha, President of the CCDR Norte, stressed: “The creation of this innovation structure in this particular territory, where around 50% of the dynamic trade between Portugal and Spain takes place, is a response to the challenges currently facing industry. And Vila Nova de Cerveira is doing so through this partnership with an entity as renowned as PIEP, which gives us the confidence to say that this is the guarantee for a very promising future.”

Specializing in the development of advanced polymeric and composite materials, PIEP is a technological interface of the University of Minho and a national technology and innovation center that operates in areas such as the transformation and recycling of materials, product engineering, artificial intelligence applied to industrial processes, sustainability, and the circular economy.

The new PIEP hub will work closely with local industries in the naval, automotive, plastics, and molds sectors, supporting the development of smarter, more sustainable, and competitive products and processes. Its location, less than 30 km from important industrial clusters in Northern Portugal and Galicia (such as Vigo and Porriño), facilitates the creation of technical and scientific synergies within the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion.

PIEP’s presence in Vila Nova de Cerveira will also boost the local entrepreneurship ecosystem by transferring knowledge to SMEs and promoting new start-ups and technological spin-offs.

With this inauguration, PIEP strengthens its role as a driving force behind industrial modernization and cross-border cooperation, actively contributing to establishing Vila Nova de Cerveira as a reference center for technological innovation for the industry of the future.

The Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira is thus reinforcing its commitment to a more competitive and innovative territory, with the CIC establishing itself as a strategic driving force for the industry of the future. In line with the municipality’s strategy for the economic and social development of the area, the CIC will play a leading role in the municipality and the region in terms of business dynamics and value creation.