PIEP – Centre for Innovation in Polymer Engineering, a technological interface center of the University of Minho, presented today, at the Landscape Laboratory in Guimarães, the GreenHUB, an ambitious cross-border project that aims to create a Center of Excellence in Circular Economy to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and sustainability of the Euroregion.

Promoted by PIEP, in partnership with CTAG – Galician Automotive Technology Center, XERA – Galician Forestry Industry Agency, and INEGA – Galician Energy Institute, entities integrated into the Xunta de Galicia, the GreenHUB aims to consolidate an ecosystem of scientific, technological, and business innovation based on the sustainable valorization of natural resources, industrial waste, and post-consumer materials.

The session brought together institutional representatives, scientific entities, technology centers, companies, and public bodies from Portugal and Galicia, establishing itself as an important moment of strategic convergence for the future of cross-border cooperation.

During the project presentation, several collaborative circularity solutions developed between companies, technology centers, and entities within the Euroregion’s scientific system were showcased. These solutions are geared towards developing high-value-added, sustainable products with international transaction potential.

GreenHUB also aims to strengthen the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge through the promotion of advanced training, the development of master’s and doctoral programs, the production of scientific articles, and the intensification of international cooperation, contributing to greater European visibility for Galicia and Northern Portugal in the field of the circular economy.

In his speech, Bruno Pereira da Silva, Director of Public Affairs and Sustainability at PIEP, highlighted that “GreenHUB represents a strategic vision to transform knowledge into innovation, innovation into competitiveness, and competitiveness into sustainable economic and social development for the Euroregion.”

It was also emphasized that the circular economy now plays a central role as an economic, industrial, and strategic agenda, and that strengthening cooperation between science, businesses, and the territory is essential to address the challenges of European competitiveness.

The Center of Excellence in Circular Economy will promote new R&D+I dynamics in strategic sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, naval, textile, packaging, food, furniture, and construction, fostering technology transfer, the development of innovative solutions, and the creation of new sustainable value chains.

The session also included the panel “Circular Economy in the Euroregion: strategies and best practices”, which featured the participation of TMG Automotive, IKEA Industry, Amorim Cork Solutions, Foresa, and Guimarães 26 – European Green Capital, allowing the sharing of concrete examples of innovation, business cooperation, and implementation of circularity practices with a positive economic and environmental impact.

GreenHUB thus emerges as a structuring platform to accelerate cooperation between companies, universities, research centers, and public entities in Galicia and Northern Portugal, contributing to positioning the Euroregion as a European reference in sustainable innovation.

Because the future is built through innovation, cooperation, and the circular economy. A more sustainable, resilient, and competitive future for the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion. The future is innovation, cooperation, and a circular economy for a more sustainable, competitive, and resilient Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion.