The initiative, running throughout October, brings together companies, universities, and knowledge centers to discuss and implement innovation strategies. The Mayor, Ricardo Araújo, highlighted the need to strengthen the local economy and diversify the business landscape, noting that the average salary in Guimarães is below national and regional averages.
Araújo emphasized that innovation is crucial for the municipality's economic future, enabling value addition to products and services. To this end, the Municipality is restructuring its internal organization by creating a Department of Economy, Innovation, and Tourism, integrated within a directorate that coordinates economy and urban planning.
The Month of Economy's program is organized into three axes: “Community, Knowledge, and Culture,” “Alliance for Innovation,” and “Root. Scale. Impact.” The event aims to showcase local development, foster reflection on economic challenges, and identify solutions.
Highlights include the Innovation Market, Hack4Guimarães 2035, and the Planetiers World Gathering, which adds an international dimension. The program also features Lab2Business sessions and the conference “1 Country, 10 Capitals: The Economic Future outside Major Centers.”
Internationalization and scaling up companies are also strategic priorities. Ricardo Araújo stressed the importance of Guimarães' companies internationalizing and retaining talent within the municipality, fostering the link between industrial tradition and innovation capacity.
The initiative is supported by partners AEMinho – Associação Empresarial do Minho and AEG – Associação Empresarial de Guimarães.
