Energy Union Discusses Renewables and Innovation with Portugal
In recent years, Portugal has seen many policy developments in terms of energy and the environment. Renewables feature strongly in Portugal’s energy plan, due to climate change challenges and the desire to reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels.
During a visit to Lisbon and Porto, Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission for Energy Union, met with Portuguese Environment Minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes and Secretary of State for Energy Jorge Seguro Sanches to discuss the Energy Union and Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan.
He praised Portugal’s use of renewable energy and stated that the country could become an exporter of renewable energy due to its ties to Spain and France. Šefčovič believes that the use of renewable energy will help decrease Portugal’s strong dependence on energy imports and looks forward to talking about low emission mobility and innovation.
On his trip, Šefčovič also visited the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESCTEC.) INESCTEC invests in scientific research and technological development and supports the establishment of new technology-based companies. It has 13 R&D centres and more than 725 researchers, with over 350 possessing PhDs.
Šefčovič took to social media, saying that INESCTEC brings together academia, industry and the public administration to develop global innovative solutions. He added that the institute is an internationally-oriented, multidisciplinary laboratory with over 30 years of R&D experience.
The Portuguese research and development tax credit for corporate R&D encourages companies to engage in innovative activities that may benefit the economy, such as the development of renewable technology. To find out more about the credit, contact Swanson Reed R&D Tax Consultants today.
