60 training sessions were held across 15 municipalities to provide closer and more personalised support to SMEs in the district of Aveiro. These sessions featured content developed and consolidated in the “Aveiro Digital Export White Papers” and related materials, along with the sharing of best practices in digital export.

The Digital Labs of ADE – Aveiro Digital Export featured various expert speakers on digitalisation topics, including João Miguel Lopes, Pedro Costa, Emanuel Grilo, Miguel Pereira, António Teixeira, Fanny Marques, and Rui Basto.

The District of Aveiro is a privileged geostrategic location in the centre of Portugal. Its territory, covering 2,808 km², is located on the central coast of the country, between Portugal’s two main metropolitan regions (Porto and Lisbon).

Aveiro benefits from excellent accessibility and transport infrastructure, attracting investors from around the world. It is possible to travel to any destination in the country or abroad by rail, sea, air, road, on foot or by bicycle, as well as through fast inter-regional and international connections.

Aveiro offers excellent solutions for business development and establishment, along with a qualified workforce in the region.

Aveiro’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is above the national average (€7,109 million in 2020), with a high education rate and 66% of the population of working age.

In 2021, the District of Aveiro recorded an increase in exports, and the number of new companies in the region continues to grow, with a strong predominance of the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors. The presence of multinational companies contributes to a highly dynamic regional environment.

Aveiro is becoming a high-tech destination, with strong investment in research and development (354 R&D units, representing 2.45% of the regional GDP).

Aveiro represents a major opportunity for companies worldwide, and the region is committed to the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises through digital channels, via the ADE project.

The project also promotes the region’s goods and services and carries out prospecting activities in strategic markets.

One of the most relevant areas of the ADE project was the prospecting visits and participation in trade fairs, which allowed AIDA CCI to identify business opportunities and potential partnerships for companies from Aveiro. Among the visits carried out, special mention goes to the agreements signed with counterpart organisations, which will help create cooperation channels to foster business partnerships between national and international companies.

AIDA CCI signed agreements with Porthollandia – Netherlands–Portugal Chamber of Commerce; InfraBiz Inco, a Canadian consultancy firm specialised in business development and international partnership building; and Media Consult, a U.S.-based company that supports the establishment of joint ventures and the implementation of projects within their territories.

These entities will be essential partners in the dissemination of the Global Diaspora Network, ensuring the necessary proximity to its growth, especially among entrepreneurs and key figures within Portuguese communities and SMEs from the Aveiro region.

Market Prospecting Visits