On October 24, the President of the Oeiras Valley Investment Agency (OVIA), Ambassador António Martins da Cruz, and the Secretary-General of OVIA, Tiago Sousa Dias, met with Dr. Yu, Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province (GDST), in an institutional meeting marking an important step towards deepening scientific and technological cooperation between Portugal and China.
The Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province (GDST) is one of China’s most influential government bodies in defining and implementing public policies on research, innovation, and technology transfer. Guangdong is the most economically dynamic province in China, forming the core of the Greater Bay Area, which includes Hong Kong, Macao, and nine mainland cities, and stands among the world’s leading hubs for innovation and industrial development.
The meeting explored potential cooperation areas between Oeiras and Guangdong, particularly in applied research, technological innovation, digital economy, and sustainable energy. Ambassador António Martins da Cruz highlighted the excellence of Oeiras’ scientific and technological ecosystem, which includes research institutes, universities, and leading innovation-driven companies, stating that the connection between Oeiras and Guangdong offers a unique opportunity to build strong bridges between European knowledge and Chinese technological capability.
Dr. Yu acknowledged Oeiras’ strategic role in Europe, emphasizing the potential of bilateral scientific and technological cooperation, and expressing interest in establishing exchange mechanisms between research centers, start-ups, and joint innovation programs.
Tiago Sousa Dias stressed the importance of bringing together complementary ecosystems and developing joint projects in science, innovation, and the blue economy, noting that this cooperation opens new opportunities for companies and institutions in both countries, and reiterated the Investment Agency’s full readiness to welcome future delegations from Guangdong and surrounding areas to Oeiras in the near future.
This meeting underscores Oeiras’ growing international projection as a territory of science and innovation, reinforcing its role in technological cooperation between Portugal and China, and advancing OVIA’s mission to connect Oeiras to the world through knowledge and sustainable innovation.
