ASSOCIACAO PORTO BUSINESS SCHOOL (PBS)- U. PORTO

Their core work

Porto Business School is the business and management arm of the University of Porto, contributing strategy, commercialization, and entrepreneurship expertise to science and technology initiatives. In H2020, they supported the BIOPOLIS centre-of-excellence upgrade in environmental biology (providing business development and knowledge transfer capacity) and helped build trans-continental networks connecting African and European Digital Innovation Hubs. Their role bridges the gap between scientific research and market application — bringing business acumen to research-intensive consortia rather than conducting lab work themselves.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Porto Business School's early H2020 involvement (2017-2018) was tightly focused on supporting environmental biology excellence through the BIOPOLIS teaming phase, centred on omics-based science and next-generation sequencing infrastructure. From 2019 onward, their scope broadened: the full BIOPOLIS project expanded into biodiversity and ecosystem services, while AfriConEU (2021) introduced an entirely new direction in digital innovation hubs, SME digitalization, and Africa-Europe cooperation. The trajectory shows a business school progressively extending its reach from science capacity-building into international digital entrepreneurship.

Moving from supporting single research centres toward broader international digital entrepreneurship and innovation hub networks — expect future involvement in DIH-related and SME digitalization calls.

How they like to work

Porto Business School has participated exclusively as a partner, never coordinating — consistent with a support role providing business and management expertise within science-led consortia. With 20 unique partners across 10 countries from just 3 projects, they join broad, internationally diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This profile suggests a reliable consortium partner that adds non-technical value (strategy, commercialization, training) without competing for scientific leadership.

Connected to 20 unique partners across 10 countries through just 3 projects, indicating involvement in large, geographically diverse consortia. Their network spans both Western European research institutions (via BIOPOLIS) and Africa-Europe innovation ecosystems (via AfriConEU).

What sets them apart

As a business school embedded within the University of Porto, PBS offers a rare combination: academic credibility paired with practical business strategy and commercialization skills. For consortium builders, they fill the increasingly important role of bridging research outputs to market — particularly valuable in Widening Participation and Teaming actions where institutional capacity building is the core objective. Their experience spanning both life sciences and digital sectors makes them adaptable across thematic areas.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BIOPOLIS
  Major two-phase Teaming action (EUR 1.47M total to PBS) building a centre of excellence in environmental biology — one of Portugal's flagship Widening projects.
• AfriConEU
  First trans-continental DIH networking academy connecting Africa and Europe, representing a significant geographic and thematic expansion for PBS.