Two research teams from INESC TEC, working respectively in Robotics and Systems Engineering and Management, recently took part in TechLaunch, an advanced, hands-on entrepreneurship bootcamp promoted by the UT Austin Portugal Program, with a shared objective: exploring pathways to bring their research and technology closer to the market.
Selected for the initiative, the teams had the opportunity to engage in an intensive learning experience focused on science-based entrepreneurship, including a one-week immersion at The University of Texas at Austin, where they interacted with mentors, researchers, and entrepreneurs from the U.S. innovation ecosystem.
According to Pedro Marques and Francisco Carneiro, researchers in Robotics, TechLaunch provided a structured environment to test whether the technologies and prototypes developed for specific use cases could effectively respond to real market needs and whether there would be customers willing to adopt them.
A similar motivation guided the Systems Engineering and Management team, composed of Henrique Piqueiro, Pedro Senna, Ana Carolina Tavares, and Romão Santos, who joined the program to assess the commercial viability of a discrete-event simulation–based process optimization technology developed at INESC TEC.
Throughout the bootcamp, participants benefited from specialized mentoring, hands-on guidance, and direct contact with decision-makers in both Europe and the United States. The experience enabled them to refine their value propositions, test market assumptions, and better understand how innovation-driven research can translate into real-world applications.
The final week at UT Austin proved particularly impactful. Beyond technical and entrepreneurial insights, the teams highlighted the importance of cultural context in innovation ecosystems – noting differences in market expectations, decision-making timelines, and approaches to technology adoption between Europe and the U.S.
As the teams move forward, their focus now turns to next steps: refining positioning strategies, completing functional prototypes, launching pilot projects, and further validating their solutions with potential users. While the journey from science to market continues, TechLaunch marked a significant milestone in building the skills, perspective, and confidence needed to pursue that path.
Credits & source
This article is based on and adapted from the original story published by INESC TEC:
“From science to market: INESC TEC researchers headed to UT Austin for entrepreneurship programme” (12 January 2026)
Original article:
https://www.inesctec.pt/en/news/from-science-to-market-inesc-tec-researchers-headed-to-ut-austin-for-entrepreneurship-programme
