Overview.

HiTech is an immersive, hands-on training program designed for research teams working on deep tech projects. Our mission is to equip these teams with essential skills in knowledge commercialization, enabling them to transform cutting-edge technologies and scientific discoveries into high-growth business opportunities.

Through expert guidance, training, practical workshops, and mentorship from industry leaders, HiTech empowers research teams to:

Align scientific research with market needs, creating real-world impact.
Effectively communicate complex research to non-scientific audiences.
Evaluate commercialization strategies to move the technology from the lab to the market.

HiTech will facilitate research teams to be better aligned with Horizon Europe's goals, namely by helping them understand how their research can create a stronger impact in society and how to better disseminate and exploit research and innovation results.

In 2025, HiTech introduces an exciting opportunity with two tracks to choose from:

Technology Push Track: Focus on developing and commercializing your own deep tech project.
Market Pull Track: Tackle real-world challenges posed by Casa em Movimento, Costa Verde, EFAPEL, INDAQUA, Lameirinho, Sonae Arauco, and UTIS with your technology (Explore them here).

Participating teams will receive support to:

Develop a comprehensive business case for a product or service concept based on their research.
Create a compelling pitch presentation that clearly communicates their business case and value proposition to potential investors and industry leaders (you can watch them here).
Explore collaboration opportunities with HiSeedTech member companies to address industry-specific challenges and potentially form strategic partnerships.

Applications for HiTech 2025 are now closed. Thank you for your interest in the program! Stay connected by subscribing to our newsletter here and be part of the next edition.

Who
Can Apply?

HiTech is open to:

R&D teams from Universities, Laboratories, and Research Institutes
Startups.

These teams can work on their own deep-tech projects or tackle industry-specific challenges posed by HiSeedTech member companies.

Eligibility Criteria:

Teams must consist of 2-5 members.
The project must be a deep tech innovation with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) higher than 2.
Teams must be affiliated with a Portuguese organization.

What
are the costs?

HiTech does not involve any fees to participating teams. The HiSeedTech member companies support the program as part of their corporate social responsibility.

However, before you apply, you should bear in mind:

There are organizational costs involved in running the program, so ensure that you have the time and commitment to fully participate throughout its duration.
Participants are expected to dedicate 6-8 hours per week.
There is a 'moral' penalty for teams that withdraw from the Program once it has started, which is related to the fact that you have left out another team that was willing to participate.

How
it works?

HiTech offers a 19-week immersive training experience, specifically designed to help research teams navigate the complex process of commercializing their scientific discoveries.

Program Components:

Online Sessions (Every Tuesday, 14:30-16:00): These sessions guide teams through the development
of a business case for a product, service, or process grounded in their scientific discoveries.
Seven Webinars (16:00-17:00): Expert-led sessions covering key topics such as Technology Commercialization, Intellectual Property, How to Make a Pitch, and Funding Opportunities.
Mentorship (Biweekly sessions): Ongoing support from industry experts, helping teams validate their projects and refine their commercialization strategies.
Networking: Opportunities to connect with industry leaders and showcase innovations during the Midterm and Closing session.
Weekly assignments: Research teams will apply the concepts learned in online sessions to their projects through structured deliverables.
Advisory sessions (Final 3 weeks): Dedicated advisory sessions will help teams refine their pitch for the Closing Session.
Pitch Presentations: During the program, the research teams will have three pitches, one at the beginning of the program for them to explain their technology, one in the middle to present the value proposition of the deep tech project and the final pitch at the end of the program at the Open Day.

It is also important to mention that:

The teams will undergo a training program that will have as the visible outcome a business case for a product/service or process concept sustained by the technology proposed.
The teams will pitch their project, at the Closing Session, to a large audience composed among others by pre-seed stage investors and corporate ventures.

Key Dates:

Application Deadline: 11 November 2024 – 31 January 2025
Selection Process: 3 – 7 February 2025
Results Announcement: 10 February 2025
Program Start Date: 18 February 2025
Program End Date: 26 June 2025

The
concept.

HiTech is the entry Program to HiSeedTech set of initiatives aimed at supporting the commercialization of technologies developed from scientific research results and providing skills to participants in technology commercialization.

The follow-on initiative to HiTech aims to support participating teams in further develop the business case and start the procurement of funding from dilutive sources (e.g., venture capital) or non-dilutive sources (e.g, Horizon Europe funding) to further develop the project.

Finally, a subsequent initiative will support the participating teams to move through the three key steps in developing a business plan to: