Strategic Partnerships Are Driving Collaborative Innovation Across Portuguese Companies

Business innovation is increasingly driven not by an organisation’s ability to operate independently, but by its capacity to collaborate, share knowledge and develop projects in partnership with others.

According to the Business Innovation and R&D Activities Dashboard, published by the Office for Strategy and Economic Studies (GEE) of the Portuguese Ministry of Economy, 14.4% of innovative companies in Portugal undertake Research and Development (R&D) projects in collaboration with other organisations.

These findings highlight the growing importance of collaborative networks within business innovation strategies. By combining expertise, scientific knowledge, technology and market capabilities, businesses can reduce innovation risk, accelerate the development of new solutions and strengthen their position in increasingly competitive value chains.

COLLABORATIVA INNOVATION IS GAINING MOMENTUM

Innovation is increasingly evolving towards collaborative models, where the development of new products, processes and services depends on organisations’ ability to build strategic partnerships.

Collaboration enables businesses to combine complementary expertise, share infrastructure and distribute the costs and risks associated with research and development activities. For many organisations, this approach provides access to specialist knowledge, facilitates the adoption of emerging technologies and accelerates the delivery of innovative solutions to the market.

The GEE’s findings indicate that a growing number of businesses are embedding collaboration into their R&D strategies, reflecting a broader trend across Europe’s most knowledge-intensive economies.

SUPPLIERS AND UNIVERSITIES PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE

Among the most common collaboration partners are suppliers of equipment, materials, components and software, which work with 10.7% of innovative businesses.

These partnerships facilitate the integration of technical expertise directly linked to production processes and help accelerate the adoption of new technologies.

Higher education institutions also play a significant role, collaborating with 7.2% of innovative businesses. These relationships help bridge the gap between scientific research and industrial needs, supporting the transfer of knowledge into commercial and industrial applications.

Strengthening these links enables businesses to translate research into products, processes and services with greater added value and stronger international market potential.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STRENGTHENS BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS

Collaboration between companies, universities, technology centres and other organisations within the scientific and technological ecosystem has become one of the principal mechanisms for transferring knowledge into the wider economy.

By integrating complementary capabilities and specialist expertise, businesses can develop technically stronger projects, reduce innovation risk and accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes.

This model is particularly valuable for organisations seeking to strengthen their technological capabilities without relying exclusively on internal resources, while simultaneously enhancing workforce skills and integrating advanced technologies into their operations.

FUNDING PROGRAMMES ARE PLACING GREATER EMPHASIS ON COLLABORATION

The growing emphasis on collaborative innovation is also evident across national and European funding programmes.

Initiatives such as Horizon Europe, Portugal 2030 and the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) frequently prioritise projects delivered through partnerships between businesses, higher education institutions, technology centres and other organisations within the Scientific and Technological System.

Collaborative projects are often able to achieve greater scale, bring together multidisciplinary expertise and maximise both their technological and economic impact.

For many businesses, participating in collaborative projects is not only an opportunity to secure funding but also a way to become part of knowledge networks that strengthen competitiveness over the medium and long term.

COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION IS RESHAPING R&D PROJECTS

Increasing technological complexity and the need to accelerate the development of new solutions are transforming the way companies design and deliver innovation projects.

Collaboration between companies, universities, technology centres and specialist suppliers enables organisations to combine complementary capabilities, accelerate technological development and increase the likelihood of both technical and commercial success.

This helps explain why national and European funding programmes continue to place growing emphasis on collaborative initiatives. Collaboration is no longer simply an eligibility criterion for certain funding schemes. It has become an innovation model capable of delivering greater economic, technological and scientific impact.

For businesses, adopting a collaborative innovation strategy means more than improving access to funding. It also means becoming part of knowledge networks that foster value creation, technology transfer and the development of differentiated market-oriented solutions.