Thus, the central objective of SusTEC is to go from Nature to Products through the implementation of sustainable practices and processes, and digital and clean technologies. SusTEC is organized in 3 thematic lines (TL):
TL1: Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Climate Change;
TL2: Food and Bio-based Solutions, and
TL3: Innovative and Tech-based SMEs.
TL1 acts in the improvement of agriculture systems, namely smallholder agriculture, natural resources management, and economic and rural development, following an integrated vision with climate variability and change.
TL2 tackles the development of high-value foods, natural-based ingredients and products for diverse industrial fields, through sustainable practices, which include the use of bio-residues, agroindustry side streams, recyclability, and green technologies.
TL3 addresses the application of novel knowledge and technologies supporting the modernization of industry to face the current challenges under the digital transformation context, promoting the creation of more innovative, technological and knowledge-based processes and systems that allow companies to be more competitive in national and international markets. Moreover, it will integrate also expertise in product and process development that along with the described areas of action will consolidate a more solid intervention in the technology-based industries. The use of digital and clean technologies will also play a crucial role in TL1 and TL2 in the development of such novel solutions, acting as a transversal vessel to achieve sustainability and competiveness. The main innovative points of SusTEC can be highlighted as follows:
SusTEC is fully based on the Polytechnic higher education subsystem in Portugal, pursuing goals and objectives that are relevant for the consolidation of problem solving and practice oriented research in Portugal;
SusTEC comprises a strong regional dimension contributing to foster the economic development of mountains and cross-border regions where the integrated research units are located, aligned with Portugal and Europe Horizon objectives;
SusTEC can promote scientific and technical careers for young PhD holders in transdisciplinary research topics not covered in the current research units and tackling the challenges posed by changes in demography, climate, technology and the economy in mountains regions and countries;
IPB, CIMO and CeDRI have promoted partnerships and have established a significant number of cooperation agreements with public and private institutions (national and international), e.g., hospitals, SusTEC – Associate Laboratory for Sustainability and Technology in Mountains Regions 4/25 municipalities, associations of enterprises, R&D groups, and networks of excellence, aiming the regular collaboration towards the pursuing of their goals, which will enrich the SusTEC activity;
Both CIMO and CeDRI have a past of fruitful and recognized influence at national and international level, gathering skills of high relevance and complementarity, whose integration will strongly impact upon social and economic regional development, without losing national/international impact.