The Science and Innovation Meeting 2026 aims to engage the scientific community, businesses, organisations from various sectors, and national, regional and local public administrations in a consultation on collaborative ideas and proposals for scientific research and knowledge-based innovation, including their connections to society, the economy, territories and regional development.

In this context, we invite the entire research and innovation ecosystem to submit strategic contributions to this important discussion.

To this end, stakeholders are asked to organise themselves in advance into groups, which may vary in composition and size. These groups are invited to submit:

1. a) a proposal outlining the theme, ideas and specific issues they would like to see addressed by AI² in the future;
2. b) the scientific, societal and/or economic factors and impacts that justify the relevance of these themes, ideas and issues for society.

The thematic proposals submitted by the various groups will form the basis of a broad and participatory public debate, taking place across multiple discussion rooms. The outcomes of these discussions will contribute to the strategic directions for research and innovation in Portugal over the next five years.

All proposals will be reviewed and organised into moderated thematic discussion sessions. Depending on the number of submissions received, a selection process may be necessary.

This distributed model of discussion, organised across different rooms and tables, is designed to maximise bottom-up participation.

Each moderator will allocate three minutes for each initial intervention (without PowerPoint presentations or other supporting materials), ensuring sufficient time for in-depth discussion. Each room will also have a rapporteur responsible for producing a summary of the contributions gathered. The synthesis of each thematic session will be presented publicly and taken into account in the ongoing strategic evaluation process.

In order to accommodate the widest possible range of participants and perspectives, each group should consist of a minimum of four participants.

To encourage collaboration between different organisations, each group should include participants from at least three different types of institution. These may include Research Units (UIDs), Associate Laboratories (LAs), companies, and/or public or private organisations, whether national or regional. In particular, we strongly encourage the participation of interdisciplinary groups that already collaborate effectively through existing projects and initiatives with demonstrable impact.

Participation is open through the completion of the proposal submission form.

The deadline for the submission of thematic proposals is 16 June 2026.

Proposals will be assessed by the Organising Committee of the Science and Innovation Meeting and grouped into thematic debate sessions.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submissions by 1 July 2026.

For further information, questions or clarification, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..