Porto, July 29, 2025 (Lusa) - The ‘Acelerar o Norte’ (Accelerate the North) project, aimed at accelerating the digital transition of companies in this region of Portugal, has trained more than 5,000 traders, entrepreneurs and employees and 8,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, the organisers announced on Tuesday.
The project’s promoters, supported by the Confederation of Trade and Services of Portugal (CCP), the Portuguese Business Association (AEP), the Portuguese Hotel, Restaurant and Similar Services Association (AHRESP) and the Digital Economy Association (ACEPI), completed the initiative. The initiative held 54 awareness-raising actions and 180 training sessions, totalling 500 hours of practical and specialised training in areas such as digital tools, e-commerce and digital marketing.
Budgeted at €19 million and financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the initiative covered the eight sub-regions of Northern Portugal (Alto Minho, Cávado, Ave, Alto Tâmega, Porto Metropolitan Area, Tâmega and Sousa, Douro and Terras de Trás-os-Montes) through a network of 16 digital commerce accelerators, with a team of 40 professionals in the field.
‘These hubs act as support and transformation centres, ensuring direct contact with entrepreneurs and the adaptation of solutions to local realities,’ explain the promoters in a statement summarising 20 months of project activity.
On the ground, the “Acelerar o Norte” operation kicked off in March 2024 with the first “Roadshow for the Digitalisation of the North” in Braga, and has since covered around 10,000 kilometres.
The organisers highlighted “the scope and effectiveness of the operation result from the involvement of more than a hundred local partners, including local authorities, business associations and private entities”.
The project structure was based on two main pillars: the “Roadshow for Digitalisation”, focused on raising community awareness, which has already been completed; and the “Training Roadshow”, focused on delivering practical tools, which has completed all the actions planned until June 2025.
Support for companies also included an assessment of their digital maturity, the development of transition plans and the allocation of vouchers worth up to 2,000 euros for the purchase of digital services.
In addition, the Acelerar o Norte Digital Academy was created, a free online training platform designed for managers, entrepreneurs and employees who prefer online study to in-person sessions or who wish to reinforce the knowledge acquired.
This academy aims to “ensure that everyone has access to the tools they need to strengthen the digital presence of their brands and businesses”.
The press release quoted the president of the CCP. This entity leads the programme’s management consortium, which believes that “the results show a significant impact on promoting the digital transition of companies in the North region.”
“It has become clear that entrepreneurs have a great desire for change, and our job has been to ensure that this desire translates into skills and results,” says João Vieira Lopes.
Emphasising that “digitalisation is for all businesses, from the largest to the smallest,” the association leader said they had shown “that digital transformation is a necessity, and small businesses can benefit as much or more than large ones.”
“The goal has been achieved: to increase the competitiveness of the local economic fabric and project the North towards the digital future,” he concluded.
PD/ADB // ADB.
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