On 8-9 September 2026, the DeepTechValleys partnership gathered in Leiria, Portugal, for its 7th Exchange of Experience (EoE7), bringing together project partners and regional stakeholders to explore funding and investment opportunities for deep tech startups, exchange regional experiences, and discover innovative practices within the Portuguese ecosystem.
Hosted by the Leiria Region Intermunicipal Community, the two-day event combined thematic discussions, collaborative workshops, and study visits, providing an opportunity to strengthen interregional cooperation and explore approaches to supporting deep-tech innovation across Europe.
Understanding the Funding Landscape for Deep Tech Startups
The first day, hosted at Startup Leiria and the Real Factory – Creative Hub Porto de Mós, focused on the theme “Funding & Investment – Understanding the Funding Landscape for Deep Tech Startups.”
Following the project’s Steering Group meeting, participants joined a session featuring representatives of the local innovation and business ecosystem. The discussion brought together perspectives from organisations including Startup Leiria, Sound Particles, NERLEI – Fundo Leiria Crescimento, and other regional businesses, offering an opportunity to explore the funding environment and investment-related challenges faced by innovative companies.
The exchange continued with presentations from DeepTechValleys project partners and regional stakeholders, who shared experiences from their respective regions. These contributions provided a basis for comparing different regional approaches to financing innovation, supporting startups, and connecting emerging technologies with investment opportunities.
A thematic workshop, “Funding & Investment: Connecting Regional Challenges & Solutions,” encouraged participants to reflect on their regional experiences, identify common challenges, and exchange ideas on how funding and investment ecosystems can better respond to the needs of deep-tech companies.
Through these discussions, the event reinforced the importance of interregional knowledge exchange in exploring solutions to the complex financing needs of deep-tech innovation.
Exploring Innovation in Practice: Study Visits Across the Leiria Region
The second day shifted the focus from thematic discussions to practical examples of innovation through three study visits to organisations operating in different technological and industrial fields.
Center for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development
The first visit introduced participants to an organisation focused on rapid and sustainable product development, providing an opportunity to explore the relationship between technological development, product innovation, and sustainability.
PRF Gas Solutions
The delegation then visited PRF Gas Solutions, a company operating in gas infrastructure and technology solutions. The visit offered insights into an industrial sector where technological expertise and innovation play an important role in developing specialised solutions.
Matcerâmica
The final visit took participants to Matcerâmica, a company operating in the ceramics industry. This stop provided an opportunity to explore innovation within a more traditional industrial sector and consider the role of technological development in regional industrial ecosystems.
Together, the three visits highlighted the diversity of the Leiria region’s business and innovation landscape, demonstrating how technological development can be relevant across different industries.
Strengthening Connections Across Europe’s Deep Tech Ecosystems
The Leiria Exchange of Experience continued the DeepTechValleys project’s commitment to fostering cooperation among European regions and supporting the development of stronger, more connected deep-tech innovation ecosystems.
By combining discussions on funding and investment with regional exchanges and practical study visits, EoE7 created opportunities for partners to share experiences, explore transferable approaches, and reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing deep-tech startups.
The knowledge exchanged during the event will contribute to the project’s ongoing interregional learning activities and discussions on how regional policy instruments and innovation support mechanisms can better address the needs of deep-tech ecosystems.
As DeepTechValleys moves forward, exchanges such as the one in Leiria remain an important part of building connections, sharing knowledge, and supporting deep-tech innovation across European regions.
Learn more about DeepTechValleys and follow the project’s activities at interregeurope.eu/deeptechvalleys.