The CCG/ZGDV Institute celebrated, on November 10th, 30 years of existence with a ceremony in the noble auditorium of the Azurém campus, in Guimarães, where more than 25 academic, business and political individuals from the national and international scene participated.
In the opening speech, the President of the CCG/ZGDV, Ricardo J. Machado, said: “over these 30 years, we have created technological solutions that have affected all aspects of the economy, particularly about the software industry, the industrial processes and equipment goods, the defence and aeronautics industry, the forestry industry and precision agriculture, the circular economy and energy, as well as technological solutions that directly relate to our lives as citizens, particularly in the areas health and environment, smart cities and urban mobility, tourism, education and culture”.
The session also featured the intervention of the president of the National Innovation Agency (ANI), António Grilo, where he highlighted the importance of the CCG/ZGDV, considering it “a national example” in the search for “innovative solutions” in favour of the economy and society. society in general. «The Computer Graphics Center, which was created in Coimbra and which has seen great evolution since moving to the University of Minho, is a national example of the vision that Portugal is capable of having great ambition for the future», said António Cricket.
During the ceremony, a message recorded by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Administrative Modernization, Mário Campolargo, was broadcast, who challenged the CCG/ZGDV to be a "cradle of ideas and innovation for the next 30 years", with "new proposals for the future for the country's strategies".
The MEP, Maria da Graça Carvalho, in her speech on European policies related to research and innovation for the digital transition, defended the importance of institutions that cover the entire research cycle.
“There are still rare cases in Portugal of research institutions that can do this with the same effectiveness as the CCG/ZGDV”.
The fight against digital illiteracy, through raising companies' awareness of "critical investment" in knowledge and innovation and the affirmation of women in the world of technological innovation, was one of the future challenges highlighted by the former minister of Science and Higher Education.
More than two dozen speakers from academia, business and politics (national and international) participated in 3 panels: “Partnerships and International Cooperation”; “The role of Research and Innovation in business competitiveness”; and “The importance of Clusters in Sectorial Economic Dynamism”.
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In the closing session, a tribute was paid to the Portuguese-German founder of this Technology and Innovation Center, the computer graphics scientist, José Luís Encarnação, having been named “Honorary President of the CCG/ZGDV”.
The ceremony ended with a speech by the Mayor of Guimarães, Domingos de Bragança, who highlighted the close connection between the Municipality and the interfaces of the University of Minho, such as the CCG/ZGDV, and its importance for a future that The aim is to consolidate the digitalization of the economy, with a view to the “Factory of the Future”.
