Health - Sectors - InvestPorto

In Porto there's a very interesting dynamic growing in the health-related areas of industry and services...a sector with a remarkable knowledge in the city, in various fields.

The health sector in the Northern Region and Porto has been experiencing strong dynamism and resilience in recent years, with a notable increase in competitiveness and sales abroad.

Companies located in the Northern Region and Porto have been internationally recognized for the high quality of their products and services - pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health services, health and wellness tourism, and cosmetics - and for their ability to develop, manufacture and provide a wide range of products and services, with high flexibility.

Vibrant and Innovative Research & Development Ecosystem

The existing Research & Development ecosystem in the city is characterized by the presence of several world-class institutions and scientists, in areas such as neurosciences, cancer, immunology, regenerative medicine and nanomedicine.

In its base, there´s a high-quality system of higher education, responsible for, year after year, training hundreds of qualified professionals in areas such as medicine, nursing, therapy and rehabilitation, diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, biomedical sciences, and pharmaceutical sciences, among others.

The Northern Region has the highest volume of graduates in Portugal in the field of Life Sciences and Health: more than 8,000 graduates annually complete their advanced studies.

Also, there's a very interesting volume of articles published in journals specialized in Life Sciences and Health.

Sources: Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência.

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High Quality Health System

There is a high quality health system, with excellent professionals and modern equipment.

Despite an independent national regulatory authority assesses the quality of the health system, there is a growing number of hospitals being awarded with international accreditation.

The Portuguese offer in the health care area also stands out due to the competitive costs in various market segments. If brought together with other factors such as the geographical location of the country and its climate, for example, or its cultural and leisure tourism and hospitality of the people, these features make Portugal, and Porto in particular, an excellent destination for citizens from other countries who seek high-quality health care.

Given the quality of R&D institutions and Portuguese hospitals, including its human resources, infrastructure and equipment, Porto can be a competitive partner in terms of specialized scientific, technological and analytical services, as well as an attractive destination for holding clinical trials.

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Available Funding Instruments

In addition to financial incentives within Portugal 2020, R&D+I projects may be eligible for tax incentives.

The Tax Incentives Scheme for Business Research and Development II, in force from 2013 to 2020, aims to support the activities of Research and Development, related to the creation or improvement of a product, a process, a program or an equipment which present a substantial improvement and that do not result only from a simple use of the current state of existing techniques.

This tax benefit allows to recover up to 82.5% of investment in R&D activities held in the tax periods of 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2020, particularly in the case of the portion that has not benefited from any straight financial contribution by the State.

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