The silent strategy that can change the interior of Portugal

The silent strategy that could change Portugal’s interior regions
While much of the national economic debate continues to focus on Lisbon and Porto, a less publicized strategy is beginning to take shape across several regions of the country. In recent days, Empowered Startups has been at the center of two events that help illustrate a broader vision for Portugal’s economic development, based on attracting international talent, investment, and innovation.
First in Santarém, through the Santarém Summit dedicated to the theme “Global Talent, Local Impact.” A few days later, in Coimbra, with the signing of a partnership between Empowered Startups and the Municipality of Coimbra to strengthen the attraction of entrepreneurs, researchers, and international investment. These events may appear isolated, but when analyzed together they reveal something more significant: the construction of a national innovation network connecting universities, municipalities, companies, and global talent.
I have been following the work of Chris Lennon and Empowered Startups in Portugal for more than two years. What makes this project different is not only its ability to attract foreign investment. It is the way that investment is connected to research, knowledge, and the concrete needs of local territories. While many initiatives focus solely on attracting companies, Empowered Startups works to create ecosystems where international talent intersects with universities, research centers, local businesses, and regional communities.
The case of Coimbra is particularly interesting. A city historically associated with knowledge and academia is now beginning to position itself more aggressively as an international innovation hub. The connection between the University of Coimbra, the Municipality, and Empowered Startups creates the conditions to transform research into companies, projects into investment, and knowledge into economic growth.
But perhaps the most important example is Santarém. For decades, many inland regions of Portugal were seen as areas losing talent. Young people studied, gained qualifications, and eventually sought opportunities in major urban centers or abroad. What was discussed at the Santarém Summit was precisely the opposite: how to use international talent, entrepreneurship, and innovation to create new local opportunities and generate regional economic impact.
This model makes even more sense when we realize that Faro is already following a similar path through its technology hub and collaboration with Empowered Startups. Quietly, a network is beginning to emerge that connects different Portuguese regions to international flows of knowledge, investment, and entrepreneurship.
What is most interesting is that this strategy addresses one of the country’s greatest challenges: competitiveness. For years, we have discussed how to increase productivity, retain talent, and attract investment. The answer may not lie solely in the major urban centers. It may lie in creating multiple innovation hubs distributed across the territory, each supported by its universities, businesses, and local authorities.
Naturally, this does not solve every problem. Housing remains a challenge, bureaucracy is still cumbersome, and the pace of execution is still far from ideal. But it is difficult to ignore the potential of a strategy that combines knowledge, investment, and international talent within a framework of regional development.
Perhaps that is why these two events deserve more attention than they received. Because they show a different Portugal. A Portugal that does not simply wait for external investment but creates the conditions to attract it. A Portugal that understands that talent is now one of the most valuable assets in the global economy.
And perhaps the main conclusion is this: if Coimbra, Santarém, and Faro have already recognized the value of this model, it would be interesting to see more municipalities, universities, and regions follow the same path.
Because global talent is looking for opportunities. And Portugal has all the conditions to be one of them.