SPOT Nordic Leadership team in Interview with the ODBMS.org Portal

On October 13, the ODBMS.org portal (The Resource Portal for AI, Gen AI, Big Data, Data Science, Data Management Technologies) published an interview with the leadership of SPOT Nordic. David Pereira de Castro (President of SPOT Nordic) and Ana Catarina Silva (Vice-President) and shared the vision and impact of the organization, which has been strengthening the Portuguese scientific presence in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.

Founded in 2020, SPOT Nordic was created with the mission of valuing the qualified Portuguese community in the Nordic countries, using scientific diplomacy as an instrument of international cooperation. “Using science as a strategic tool to strengthen relations between Portugal and the Nordic countries,” summarizes David Pereira de Castro.

Among its main initiatives are:

• Scientific Council, which promotes the visibility of Portuguese science and supports the creation of bilateral partnerships.

• LusoNordic Connect Program, funded by FCT, which offers grants for internships and research visits in Nordic institutions (Applications are currently open for the Bolsa Nordic).

• Researcher’s Chronicle, a platform that showcases the academic work of the association’s members.

One success story is the researcher Jade Müller, a PhD student in the MIT-Portugal program, who received the 2024 scholarship to develop a project on sustainable technologies at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Copenhagen. For Ana Catarina Silva, SPOT Nordic is also a bridge between science and industry. The project From Science to Industry proposes creating a platform that accelerates the transformation of scientific ideas into market innovations through specialized mentoring, incubation, and strategic partnerships. The organization also supports the integration of Portuguese students and professionals in the Nordic countries through resources such as the Student Guide, networking, and mentoring events. Currently, the SPOT Nordic community gathers more than a thousand followers on LinkedIn, and its reach continues to grow significantly.

Strategic partnerships with companies such as Quidgest reinforce the commitment to building bridges between Portuguese innovation and the Nordic ecosystem, promoting professional development and economic cooperation.

Looking ahead, SPOT Nordic aims to leave a lasting legacy: a transnational ecosystem connecting Portugal and the Nordic countries in the fields of digitalization, sustainability, and biotechnology — with the Portuguese diaspora at its core.

As Ana Catarina and David affirm:

“We believe that science is not only about discovery — it is about connections.”

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