At the HiTech Closing Session, which took place at Tivoli BBVA theatre on July 13, nine research teams pitch the business cases for the product concepts developed throughout the program. These deep tech projects are based on innovative technology and are developed by researchers from Portuguese R&D organizations who, for 18 weeks, were duly supported by 18 business mentors and four advisors, in the development of the business case and in translating cutting-edge technology and scientific discoveries into high-growth business opportunities.

The team Smart Photonics gathered members from the Instituto de Telecomunicações, CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Universidade de Aveiro e Instituto Superior Técnico (João Ramalho, Bárbara Vaz, Lília Dias, Paulo André and Rute Ferreira) and present a business case for a biodegradable label able to store static information, which can be attached to products from different markets. Additionally, our label, when accessed through an APP installed on a smartphone can have different customized features. This includes temperature measurement and the ability to function as a fingerprint, enabling its authentication and tracking, thus giving the consumer a unique experience and producers additional possibilities to control their product, targeting the wine and pharmaceutical markets.