AGP Executive Report

Portugal Environment: Portugal’s waters now host 231 confirmed invasive marine species, with a new national inventory update led by MARE and ARNET showing shipping as the main entry route via ballast water and hulls. Urban Mobility: Shared e-scooter operators in Portugal push back on bans and pullbacks, arguing safety problems come more from driving behaviour, infrastructure and enforcement than from scooters alone. Legal Tech & Regulation: The EU’s top court clarified rules for competition-law “dawn raids,” including when business emails can be seized and when independent review is needed for mobile devices and storage media. AI & Defence: The UK and Ukraine signed an AI defence partnership giving UK researchers access to Ukrainian battlefield data from “Avengers AI Labs” to train models for security uses. Startups & Industry: SBC Summit Lisbon’s 2026 Hall of Fame names five betting and gaming leaders, with the induction ceremony set for Sept. 28 at Estoril. Space/Science: A near-total partial lunar eclipse lit skies across the Americas, Europe and Africa, with another eclipse not due until New Year’s Eve 2028. Community & Food Systems: A community garden in Complexo do Alemão (Brazil) is being revitalized on a decommissioned reservoir, turning concrete into beds for about 600 seedlings.

Himalayan Disaster: Nepal–China flash floods and landslides are now at 469 dead with 1,400+ missing, as rescue teams struggle with destroyed access routes and worsening weather; USGS points to a glacial collapse driving a debris flow, while authorities warn of new flood risks from temporary lakes. Portugal Tech & Energy: In Porto, APDL has started breakwater rehabilitation at Barra do Douro, clearing the way for Eco Wave Power’s 1 MW wave installation. Aviation Decarbonisation: ZeroAvia appoints Christine Ourmières-Widener as CEO to push hydrogen-electric certification and commercialisation. Solar for Communities: Insolar profiles how Rio’s Sustainable Favela Network is expanding access to solar energy across Santa Marta and nearby communities. Enterprise AI: Cohere releases Parse v5.0, a vision language model that turns enterprise documents into Markdown via an API. Local Governance & Rights: A Rio Supreme Court hearing highlights allegations of racist policing practices in favelas. Business Travel & Customer Experience: TAP Air Portugal rolls out new long-haul travel kits, PressReader access, a “Skip Meal” option, and luggage services via LUGGit.

AI in Enterprise Docs: Cohere unveiled Parse (parse-v5.0), a 2.3B vision language model that turns PDFs, PowerPoints and images into Markdown with tables, lists and key-value extraction—positioned for production use via API and major cloud marketplaces. Portugal Travel Tech: Portugal’s airports will resume collecting biometric data from non-EU passengers at 100% from Sept. 6, raising operational pressure after earlier queue-related pauses. Aviation Innovation in Lisbon: The World Aviation Festival in October will run the Ancillary Arena pitch contest in Lisbon, aiming to find new airline revenue ideas for tight-margin markets. Portugal Tech & Security: Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária national director Carlos Cabreiro is reported to have been referred to prosecutors over alleged false court testimony and surveillance decisions tied to the Football Leaks case. Local Industry & Energy: Martifer won a contract for Lisbon airport expansion, while Portugal’s largest solar PV project (WElink Energy Portugal 2) entered administration amid low output and falling power prices. Science & Society: A near-total lunar eclipse is set to be visible overnight, with free livestreams including views from Portugal and Spain.

Analogue chip automation in Portugal: Celera Semiconductor secured a fully funded €30m Series B led by Maverick Silicon to expand its analogue IC design automation platform, including work tied to Portugal-based SiliconGate and new engineering activity in Lisbon and Porto. Cybersecurity: AnonyMousKIT is pitching phishing-as-a-service that automates Apple ID and 2FA harvesting across multiple channels, aiming to defeat Activation Lock and monetize stolen devices. Energy trading tech: Capalo AI teamed with European Energy to optimize and trade two Baltic hybrid solar-plus-storage projects in Lithuania and Latvia, covering day-ahead, intraday and balancing markets. Aviation innovation in Lisbon: The World Aviation Festival launches the Ancillary Arena pitch contest for airline revenue ideas, while German Bionic will demo its AI-powered EXIA exoskeleton for baggage and cargo handling at GSE Expo Europe. Health research in Portugal: A Portuguese multicenter real-world study reports upadacitinib outperforming other advanced options for refractory moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis. Disaster science: Nepal-Tibet flash floods were triggered by glacial collapse and debris flow, with climate-linked conditions raising risk; rescue teams are still searching for hundreds, including many foreign tourists.

Portugal Tech & Culture: COROS.PT, Portugal’s national online choir directory, has launched an English-language version to help foreign residents and international musicians find and contact choirs across mainland Portugal, Azores and Madeira. EU Policy & Tech: European Commission has invoked the EU AI Act for the first time, ordering leading AI developers to disclose details on cybersecurity, safety and copyright compliance. Portugal Energy & Infrastructure: Questions are growing over the ageing Fagilde dam near Viseu after authorities confirmed its spillway can’t handle flood conditions under current rules, with a replacement planned for 2029. Portugal Wildlife & Grid Safety: Portugal’s GNR rescued a short-toed snake eagle found dazed near a medium-voltage power line in Alentejo; it’s now in rehabilitation before release. International Tech & Media: YouTube’s Pedro Pina pushed back against claims it’s “the villain” in TV decline, pledging £3m for UK content and talent as EU rules are reviewed. Global Tech & Society: Investigative teams are using satellite imagery and AI to map illegal mining in the Amazon and Congo, sharing methods to speed up reporting.

Desertification Watch: A new European Commission JRC report says 47% of Greece’s population lives in areas affected by desertification, with 72.74% of the country showing land-degradation indicators—placing Greece among Europe’s most at-risk states, ahead of Portugal (28%). Fintech & Crypto Rails: Revolut has started a phased roll-out of EURR, a euro-backed stablecoin, first to select users in Denmark, Poland and Portugal, with broader EEA availability later this year. Energy Rules for Data Centres: Spain is drafting a decree requiring new data centres to source at least 80% of electricity from renewables in every operating hour, or face loss of grid connection. Portugal Tech & Industry: Ansell opened a second Ansell Xperience & Innovation Studio near Coimbra to help companies test and co-create workplace safety solutions. Health Research in Portugal: FairJourney Bio published a peer-reviewed study on conditional IL-12 activation, with work carried out across its Porto and Cambridge sites. Space for Mobility: Vodafone says it will expand coverage in Portugal with AST SpaceMobile. Sports Tech & Business: Waymo plans robotaxi testing in Munich soon, as it expands its Europe push.

Portugal Tech & Industry: Hovione completes a €40m expansion of its Loures tablet manufacturing centre, adding 25% more commercial batch tableting capacity and strengthening single-site spray-drying-to-tablet production. Robotics & Research: INESC TEC argues Portugal can’t outmass-produce robots like China, but can win by focusing on AI, intelligent systems and specialised applications. Space & Radar: ICEYE says it set up national entities in Germany, Portugal and India in 47 days to boost “sovereignty” beyond owning satellites, with a new India plan to build local engineering and manufacturing. Energy & Power: Portugal’s largest solar plant, Solara4 in Alcoutim, enters administration after low output, weak wholesale prices and technical problems. Health & Pharma: Aptia’s U.S. Health Learning Academy earns five Brandon Hall Group awards for blended learning and training delivery. Climate Impact: EuroMOMO reports over 32,000 provisional heatwave deaths across Europe, with Portugal included in some analyses. Aviation Safety: A Swiss flight makes an emergency landing in the Azores after a chemical odour onboard. Business & Trade: A Saudi delegation led by the Saudi–Portugal Business Council begins a health-focused visit to Portugal, aiming for partnerships and technology transfer.

Portugal Innovation Gap: A European Commission visit highlights Portugal’s momentum in science and innovation funding, but the country still lands as a “Moderate Innovator” in the 2026 scoreboard—raising the question of whether growth is fast enough to match the narrative. Energy & Industry: Welink’s Solara4 mega solar plant in the Algarve (219 MW) has been placed into insolvency after underperformance, disputes with a Chinese contractor, fires, and a collapse in wholesale prices. Grid-Scale Storage Push: Portugal is also raising its battery storage ambition to 3GW, signaling a shift toward balancing renewables at scale. Digital Policy & Safety: A study on X shows women in politics face more toxic replies than men, with Portugal among the countries analysed—fueling debate on platform moderation and online harassment. Health Regulation: Mozambique’s medicines and imported vaccines regulator is recognized by WHO at Maturity Level 3, a boost for safer access to quality-assured health products. Work-From-Anywhere: Mumbai debuts as the only Indian city in IWG’s 2026 Work From Anywhere Index, ranking ahead of London and Miami—while Porto and Lisbon also appear in the global top destinations list. Tech Events: Diving Talks 2026 in Lisbon (Oct 23–25) opens ticket sales, bringing together explorers, scientists, photographers and safety experts.

Portugal tech & policy: Portugal’s ecommerce habits show up in a new ECB consumer survey: Chinese platforms are used by 77% of people in Portugal (highest in Southern Europe), with affordability and product variety driving demand. Healthcare in the Algarve: B. Braun is building a new haemodialysis clinic in Albufeira, aiming to cut travel distances for patients and expand capacity for locals and holidaymakers. Cybersecurity: ToxicPanda 2.0 is an upgraded Android banking Trojan, expanding targets and adding deeper device compromise and persistence capabilities. Space science: A Portugal-linked exoplanet conference reignites the debate over what counts as a planet, with astronomers proposing a new way to classify “exosatellites.” Climate & safety: Heatwaves across Europe are being linked to more wildfires and higher drowning risk when people swim in open water during extreme temperatures. Defense tech: Britain is allowing classified missile technology components to be shared with Ukraine, via MBDA and SCALP/Storm Shadow equivalents.

Portugal Connectivity: Vodafone Portugal says it will be the first operator to offer universal mobile satellite connectivity using conventional smartphones via AST SpaceMobile, aiming for a commercial beta by end-2027 and improved coverage during storms and power outages. Energy & Markets: Pexapark reports European long-term PPA prices diverged in July: the Euro Composite rose 2.3% to €45/MWh, but prices fell in Spain (-3.9%) and Portugal (-2.9%) as renewables weigh on long-term expectations. AI Infrastructure (Brazil): Brazil unveiled an AI infrastructure package (~R$2.3bn) including a planned Rio AI-computing initiative with Huawei and iFlytek, plus a separate procurement for a high-performance AI supercomputer. Data Centers & Power (Brazil): New reporting highlights how renewable power surplus is being used to attract data centers, with many grid-connection requests tied to renewable developers. Security Testing (Iberia Cards): Iberia Cards adopted Synack’s continuous security validation to move beyond fixed-scope compliance toward ongoing red-team testing. Science Journalism: A new study examines how watchdog science reporting in Portugal, Spain and Latin America can drive real-world change despite funding and political pressure.

AI Infrastructure: Researchers say some AI firms are exploring underwater data centers to cut fresh-water use and improve cooling, but warn the energy and carbon problem doesn’t vanish—and marine impacts plus regulation still loom. Portugal Energy Transition: Heineken’s Vialonga brewery near Lisbon switched on a large high-temperature heat pump with Siemens Portugal, aiming to halve carbon from thermal energy, though a planned heat battery delivery slipped to 2028. Climate & Health: Europe’s heatwave season is linked to tens of thousands of excess deaths, with provisional figures pointing to over 30,000 across the continent and Portugal among the hardest-hit countries. Portugal Tech Policy: A Portuguese government push frames sovereign cloud as a “strategic enabler” for digital transformation, tying national capability to faster rollout. Research & Medicine: A cancer vaccine breakthrough is highlighted as Portugal advances its research push. Data Centers & Jobs: A separate report notes AI-driven data center expansion is colliding with labor shortages, raising pressure on skills and workforce planning.

Cancer Research in Portugal: Moderna and Merck report Phase 3 results for an mRNA personalised cancer vaccine (with Keytruda) in high-risk melanoma, showing improved recurrence-free and metastasis-free survival—Portugal-linked immunotherapy and personalised medicine work is also highlighted. AI Security: Hugging Face’s cyberattack is used as a business lesson on how AI can both enable and defend against breaches, with Reuters and BBC coverage pointing to new safeguards. Climate & Health: Europe’s heatwave season is linked to over 30,000 excess deaths in provisional figures, with Portugal among the countries counted. Energy Transition in Portugal: Heineken’s Vialonga brewery switched on a 6MW high-temperature heat pump to cut thermal emissions, while a planned heat battery delivery slips to 2028. Infrastructure Tech: Bentley Systems names Dar International’s Saudi 380kV substation project as a finalist, citing digital twins and AI. Weather Watch: Portugal-facing Atlantic systems are monitored as possible developments approach the weekend.

Climate & Health: Europe’s heatwave season is already linked to over 30,000 excess deaths, with provisional figures pointing to more than 32,000 across the continent and Portugal among the hardest-hit countries. Cancer Research: Portugal-linked scientists are watching a major personalised cancer-vaccine milestone: Moderna and Merck report Phase 3 success for an mRNA melanoma vaccine combined with Keytruda, though full results are still pending. AI & Cybersecurity: Hugging Face’s recent cyberattack is being used as a boardroom lesson on how AI can both enable and help defend against breaches. Migration Systems: Portugal’s Bar Association warns AIMA’s staff shortages and patchy digital systems are creating long waits and undermining lawyers’ ability to provide effective defence. Energy Transition: Portugal is pushing battery storage ambition toward 3GW by 2030, aiming to strengthen grid flexibility. Space/Weather Watch: A new Atlantic low-pressure system could develop and move toward Portugal and northwestern Spain over the weekend. Local Tech/Business: A Portuguese real-estate tech push launches in Tavira as an Irish-owned firm expands into Europe.

Climate & Health: Provisional figures from Europe’s EuroMomo monitoring platform point to at least 30,000 excess deaths during a blistering summer of heatwaves and drought, with an AFP count of 33,000 linked deaths across Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. AI Infrastructure: Brazil has launched a tender for a major AI supercomputer (7,200 petaflops) to be installed at the Augusto Severo Science and Technology Park in Rio Grande do Norte, aiming to cut reliance on foreign AI processing. Portugal Energy: Portugal is pushing battery storage ambition toward 3GW by 2030, as the country looks to firm up renewables. Public Safety Tech: A US police force (Clinton) is using body cameras that translate 50 languages in real time, including Spanish and Portuguese, to speed up communication in the field. Biotech/Health Research: A single-centre retrospective analysis reviews real-world use of upadacitinib for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Antibiotics & Resistance: A report describes a carbapenem-resistant Comamonas resistens strain in China carrying blaIMP-8 and other β-lactamase genes.

Climate & Health: EuroMomo estimates Europe has already logged over 32,000 excess deaths during heatwave-and-drought weeks, with provisional tallies including Portugal among the hardest hit. AI & Policy: A Business Insider review says Anthropic’s AI watermark for Claude may go further than what the EU AI Act strictly requires, sparking backlash from users and developers. Portugal Energy: Portugal is pushing battery storage ambition toward 3GW by 2030, aiming to back up a faster-growing renewables grid. Local Defence Industry: Portugal’s government formally recognises a Beja Air Base military aircraft factory as of national public interest, with around 300 jobs expected for A-29N Super Tucano assembly. Maritime Tech: Turkish firm STM is moving Neta autonomous underwater vehicles into mass production, with mine-detection and mine-hunting missions planned. Education Tech: YouTube Edu expands teacher training and lesson-planning support, including a course version in Brazilian Sign Language. Sports Tech & Data: The Premier League is testing matchday “ball chip” tech, hinting at future use in officiating and analysis. Work & Productivity: A new Ace Workflow study finds companies lose 26% of time to wasted effort, largely from handoffs between too many tools.

Energy Storage in Portugal: Portugal is pushing battery storage to 3GW by 2030 (up from the 2GW target in the current plan) and is drafting competitive procedures for up to 750MVA of standalone battery connections, with growth to 4.5GW by 2040—but deployment is still tiny (around 20MW commissioned by end-2025), so grid upgrades and revenue rules will be key. Climate & Wildfires: A new study warns climate change could nearly triple the area burned by wildfires in Europe by the end of the century, making fires more unpredictable and harder even for experienced responders. Cybersecurity: ToxicPanda 2.0 is an upgraded Android banking Trojan that can steal PINs and credentials, use invisible overlays, and expand its phishing reach to hundreds of banking and crypto apps across multiple countries. Urban Tech & Mobility: A major metro project in Brazil is advancing with the delivery of the Hebe Camargo tunnel boring machine for Guarulhos, aiming to bring the city its first underground rail link. Portugal in the spotlight (EU/tech culture): Breaking The Walls is bringing its final chapter to Porto for The World Battle, using breaking to focus on mental well-being and youth connection. Health & Society (Portugal-adjacent): Portugal’s public healthcare strain remains in focus, with long waits highlighted as demand grows.