Published on 10 Mar 2026

2nd Singapore-Portugal Research and Innovation Week

The 2nd Singapore-Portugal Research and Innovation Week, organised by the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, with the support of the Portuguese Embassy in Singapore and the Portuguese Trade and Investment Agency (AICEP) Singapore, took place from 22 to 26 June 2026. The initiative, which was first organised by SC3DP in June 2025, aimed to bring together leading Portuguese academic, scientific, and industry organisations in Singapore to explore opportunities for research collaboration and strategic partnerships. The inaugural event resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Porto, a Research Collaboration Agreement with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, and the submission of a proposal to the Singapore Research Attachment Programme (SRAP), which was subsequently approved by A*STAR in January 2026.

 

This year, the event brought together nearly 30 representatives from leading Portuguese organisations such as COMPETE 2020 (https://compete2030.gov.pt/en/home/), the University of Aveiro (https://www.ua.pt), University of Algarve  (https://www.ualg.pt/en), University of Coimbra (https://www.uc.pt/en/), University of Minho (https://www.uminho.pt/EN), Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (https://www.up.pt/portal/en/feud/), Instituto Superior Tecnico (https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/en/) and Lisbon School of Architecture (https://www.fa.ulisboa.pt/index.php/en/)  both at the University of Lisbon (https://www.ulisboa.pt/en), Polytechnic of Leiria (https://www.ipleiria.pt/en/), Instituto Pedro Nunes (https://www.ipn.pt/en/), CENTIMFE – Technological Centre for the Mouldmaking, Special Tooling and Plastic Industries (https://www.centimfe.com/en-home.html), and the industrial companies Erofio Group (https://www.erofio.pt) and Durit Group (https://grupodurit.pt/en/).

 

The Portuguese delegation participated in an intensive five-day programme at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, beginning with welcome addresses by H.E. the Portuguese Ambassador to Singapore, Dr Carlos Pires, and the Executive Director of SC3DP, Professor Paulo Bartolo, followed by a guided tour of SC3DP's laboratories.

On the first two days, the Portuguese delegation visited several industrial partners including Addept3D (https://www.addept3d.com), ELH Tech (https://elh3d.com), Mencast Holdings Ltd (https://www.mencast.com.sg), and the Hyndai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS, https://www.hyundai.com/sg/home), to gain insights into Singapore's advanced manufacturing ecosystem and explore industrial activities in advanced materials, automation, additive manufacturing, robotics and virtual reality technology and applications.

The third day commenced with opening addresses by H.E. the Portuguese Ambassador of Portugal to Singapore, Dr. Carlos Pires, and NTU’s Associate Vice President (Strategy & Partnerships), Professor Lam Kwok Yan, focused on identifying opportunities for research and industrial collaborations and comprised the following presentations:

  • “Deep Tech Innovation in Singapore”, Dr. Lim Jui (CEO, SGInnovate)
  • “NTUitive and the Innovation Ecosystem at NTU”, Dr David Shem Tov (Associate Vice President (Technology Transfer), NTU)
  • “Research, Innovation and Enterprise in the New Age of AI”, Mr Douglas Foo PBM BBM (Founder & Chairman of Sakae Holdings Ltd., and Non-resident High Commissioner to United Republic of Tanzania)
  • “The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC)”, Dr Ho Chaw Sing (CEO of NAMIC)
  • “Driving Cooperation, Innovation, Competitiveness and International Partnerships – Opportunities”, Dr Alexandra Vilela (President, COMPETE 2030)
  • “Portugal Across Borders: An Inside Look into AICEP’s Role in Singapore”, Dr Rita Sansana (Director of AICEP in Singapore)

The third day of the 2nd Singapore-Portugal Research and Innovation Week featured the public announcement of the “FEUP-SC3DP Advanced Doctoral Program in Additive Manufacturing Processes and Technologies” established in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). The different project’s PI from Singapore and Portugal presented the six initial projects, while three students, joining live from Portugal, shared their motivation for participating in this programme. The significance of the initiative for both FEUP and the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) was highlighted by both Professor Rui Calçada, Director of FEUP, and Professor Paulo Bartolo, Executive Director of SC3DP, Professor António Pontes (University of Minho),  Dr Nuno Fidelis (CENTIMFE), Dr Rui Tocha (CENTIMFE) and Eng Pedro Lourenço (EROFIO Group) presented the Innovation in Additive Manufacturing (Innov.AM).

 

Key achievements and research outcomes of the CENTIMFE-SC3DP Research Innovation and Development Lab were presented by Dr Rui Tocha (CENTIMFE) and Dr Mehmet Cagirici (SC3DP). Moreover, Prof. Elsa Henriques (Instituto Superior Tecnico) and Dr Nuno Silva (DURIT Group) also presented the outcomes of two projects funded by the Portuguese Government, highlighting advances in sustainable manufacturing, advanced materials, and manufacturing technologies for the automotive sector. The programme concluded with a presentation titled "Developing Portuguese Language Studies at NTU: Pathways and Challenges", delivered by Ms Estelle Bech and Mr Jean Francois Noel Ghesquiere, Director of the Centre for Modern Languages, NTU.

 

 

On the fourth day, the Portuguese delegation participated in the “Bridging Portugal and Singapore Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, organised by AICEP Portugal Global Singapore, dedicated to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems of Portugal and Singapore. The event took place at the ACE.SG (Action Community for Entrepreneurship, https://ace.sg). In parallel, they were also able to visit the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI, https://www.ntu.edu.sg/newri), the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE, https://scelse.sg), the Air Traffic Management Research Institute (https://www.ntu.edu.sg/atmri), the Facility for Analysis, Characterisation, Testing and Simulation (FACTS, https://www.ntu.edu.sg/facts), at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT, https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg), where the delegation explored SIT’s Innovation-as-a-Service (IaaS) model and how it translates innovative ideas into industry-ready solutions.

 

 

A key highlight of the 2nd Singapore-Portugal Research and Innovation Week was the signing of strategic Research Collaboration Agreements between the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) and the University of Coimbra, Polytechnic of Leiria, Institute of Polymers and Composites of the University of Minho and Instituto Pedro Nunes. These collaborations strengthen industry-academia partnerships and address challenges in strategically important sectors, including tooling and high-precision manufacturing, construction, aerospace, automotive, and healthcare. These sectors are critical to driving innovation, enhancing competitiveness, and advancing sustainability and resilience.

 

 

Media Coverage of the Research Collaboration Agreement Signings

 

Press:

 

Radio:

 

Related stories

Building Future Partnerships: Obayashi Singapore

Published on 28 Jun 2026

A Journey Beyond the Classroom

Published on 27 Jun 2026

Voyage Beyond: Reimagining Maritime Singapore

Published on 27 Jun 2026

Research Collaboration Agreement with Leistritz

Published on 23 Jun 2026

Strengthening Research Collaborations with France Academic Institutions

Published on 18 Jun 2026

SC3DP Explores a New Opportunity with Global F&B Leader Nestlé

Published on 15 Jun 2026