PACT PROVES “A MORE INNOVATIVE AND TECHNOLOGICAL ALENTEJO” IN ITS FIRST PRESENCE AT THE S. JOÃO FAIR
3 July 2023
PACT – Alentejo Science and Technology Park debuted this year at the São João Fair 2023, in Évora, the largest event in the city, much recognized and appreciated in Alentejo.
Currently, PACT is recognized as a reference for innovation at a regional level and one of the main actors responsible for the transformation of the Alentejo. In an interview with Diário do Sul, Soumodip Sarkar, Executive President of PACT, says that “with the participation in the Feira de S. João, we intend to make PACT, its services and ecosystem known; their projects and plans for the future; and its positive impact on the community to all citizens: local, regional and national. We want them to be aware of all the efforts we are making to make the region more developed and to be part of this change”. Taking into account that this is a limited space, the Executive President of PACT recalls that “here is just a small sample of the path, achievements and aspirations of PACT and its ecosystem. In future editions, we hope to involve our partners even more and give them the opportunity to use this space as a platform to further leverage their projects”.
Given the problem of the aging population that the region faces, Soumodip Sarkar says that “this contact with the wider public naturally also serves the purpose of showing that the region has more and more opportunities and more and more conditions to retain talent, that is, highly qualified human resources, while offering a higher quality of life. As an agent of change, PACT also aims to make a positive contribution to reversing the national sociodemographic trend, namely at the level of the Alentejo”.
From June 23 to July 2, it will be possible to visit the PACT stand, which is aimed at all ages and rewards technology, making use of several innovations, such as robots that use chatGPT technology, virtual reality glasses, immersive experiences with video games, among others. In the space, visitors will also have the opportunity to observe the model of the new buildings, which are part of the project to expand the PACT facilities, signed by the architect Carrilho da Graça, who was recently awarded the degree of Honoris Causa by the University of Évora. In addition, the PACT team will be available for business contacts and plans to promote various activities on its social networks, in order to further promote interaction with visitors.
The endowment of the PACT stand with state-of-the-art technology, which has surprised a lot positively and captivated the hundreds of people who have already visited the space, is in line with the organization’s most recent commitment to the creation and promotion of the eGames cluster, within the scope of the eGames Lab, a project supported by the PRR – Recovery and Resilience Plan, and by the European Next Generation EU Funds, and of which PACT is a member. The eGames Lab aims to enhance the global renewal of communications networks, promoting eGaming, new 5G networks and the potential of IoT for the design of new interactions and gameplay in the industry, leveraging the potential of the regions as a destination for digital nomads, attracting highly qualified international staff; increase the investment in R&D activities by companies and their connection to the academic-scientific environment; and also contribute to the growth of other complementary sectors (audiovisual, design, storytelling).
In the words of the Executive President of PACT, with the participation in the Feira de S. João, “PACT highlights the work developed so far in the area of science, technology and innovation, at a regional level, consolidating it, and renews its ambition to continue to play an indispensable role as a driving force for progress in the future of the Alentejo”.
As is well known, PACT is the leader of the Regional Technology Transfer System (SRTT), aiming to position the Alentejo as a global reference innovation driving center, through the dynamization and promotion of synergies between the academic and business ecosystem, with the purpose of creating value for the market and for the region. To this end, PACT develops activities on several fronts, such as the support and development of companies in the Alentejo, the promotion of scientific capacity, the encouragement of knowledge transfer and acting as a pole of attraction for innovative companies, among others.
