- Coimbra iParque
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Coimbra iParque science park site in January 2011.
The Coimbra Innovation Park (iParque) is a science and technology park located in Coimbra, Portugal. This is a public project (state-funded project) of the municipality of Coimbra, that has the participation of the University of Coimbra, and companies like Critical Software and ISA-sensing, among others. The park has 1 million square meters[1] and is dedicated to innovation, knowledge base companies and startups. iParque selected the following areas of activity: health and life sciences, telecomunications, information science and multimedia, and robotics. The project includes also green spaces, residential areas, shopping centres and healthcare services.
Contents
History and mission
Outdoor in the Coimbra iParque showing the planned project.Coimbra has interesting educational, scientific and technological facilities, most prominently its ancient university - the University of Coimbra. Within Portugal, the city has great incubation initiatives that serve both companies and ideas, excellent R&D groups and centres. Successful and innovative companies that are leaders, in Portugal and internationally. Coimbra Innovation Park (iParque) intends to connect these initiatives that are available in Coimbra and in other cities and regions, and wants to work together with them, establishing cooperation networks, creating synergies and competitive advantages.[2]
Since the beginning of the iParque project, several tech-based companies showed interest in opening their offices in the park.[3] including WIT-Software S.A., Forum, Bettersoft, Critical software, ISA, RC-soft, CTCV, MediaPrimer, Cnotinfor, and several others. After several years of planning and discussion, the project advanced on the field in 2008. Several acres of land were expropriated by the Coimbra's town hall administration.
Coimbra Innovation Park (iParque) mission is to develop and modernize Coimbra as well as the region's economical activity by promoting, creating and settling companies with a high technological content and by aiming towards innovation, experimental development and the use of new technologies in advising or training actions. It intends to create a new concept of competition based on the collective efforts of a number of institutional initiatives that are credible and that show how successful the attraction of excellent qualified human resources can be, turning Coimbra into a definite reference among the European cities of knowledge.[4]
Coimbra Innovation Park Official Logo
References
- ^ iParque Information: Location + objectives + plan
- ^ EU Report on Entrepreneurship in Higher Education specially in non-business studies (refers to iParque as an example in Portugal)
- ^ iParque general plant
- ^ (Portuguese) MCS, Coimbra iParque: Empresas que vão inaugurar o espaço serão conhecidas em breve - presidente, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, retrieved on 24th January 2008
External links
Other related sites:
Categories:- Science parks in Portugal
- Science and technology in Portugal
- University of Coimbra
- Coimbra
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