On 27 June, the President of the School of Engineering, Professor Pedro Arezes, attended the inauguration of the new facilities of the PIEP – Innovation in Polymer Engineering hub at the CIC (Cerveira Innovation Centre), representing the School of Engineering. At the opening ceremony, Pedro Arezes emphasised, among other things, the importance of this centre in extending the transformative impact of UMinho and its subsidiaries to the whole of Minho and wished PIEP every success.
The new PIEP centre at the Cerveira Innovation Centre is committed to developing advanced materials, the circular economy and technological solutions for regional and cross-border industry, consolidating a strategic commitment to strengthening industrial innovation in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula.
This new infrastructure brings PIEP closer to the productive dynamics of Alto Minho and the business ecosystem of Galicia, boosting cross-border synergies and promoting the modernisation of regional industries.
A national technology and innovation centre and interface of the University of Minho, PIEP specialises in advanced polymeric and composite materials, transformation and recycling processes, product engineering and sustainable solutions applied to sectors such as mobility, energy, construction, health, electronics and aeronautics. With the capacity to support companies throughout the entire innovation cycle, from design to prototyping and product validation, as well as advanced human resources training, PIEP has established itself as a strategic partner for industry.
The facility in Vila Nova de Cerveira benefits from a significant industrial base, especially in the shipbuilding, automotive, plastics and moulds sectors, where the use of composites and intelligent, sustainable materials is growing. The new hub will support these industries in the development of advanced materials, process optimisation using artificial intelligence and the integration of intelligent, efficient and sustainable solutions.
Located less than 30 kilometres from important Portuguese and Galician industrial hubs, the new PIEP facility is positioned to stimulate collaborative innovation within the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion. Its proximity to clusters such as the automotive and aerospace industries, centred in Vigo and Porriño, opens up new opportunities for technical and scientific cooperation.
PIEP also has a solid track record of cross-border collaboration, having participated in various projects under the POCTEP programme, such as NaturPlas, ValorNature and is currently promoting the GreenHub project, focused on the circular economy in the Galicia-North Portugal euro-region.
In addition to the direct transfer of knowledge and technologies to SMEs, PIEP’s presence in Cerveira could boost the emergence of new start-ups and technological spin-offs, energising the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
With this new hub, PIEP is strengthening its role in the digital, ecological and industrial transition of the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, affirming Vila Nova de Cerveira as a reference centre for innovation in advanced materials and technologies for industry.
Video AltoMinho TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYy0Iq4Eak
