Developing cooperation in the field of cultural and creative industries with organisations in Portugal started in the NEWAVES project, where we are working in an international team to address the future of local radio in Portugal, Croatia, Slovakia and Macedonia.
During the month of September 2023 we visited 4 creative centres in Portugal and we are communicating about establishing project cooperation.
And why Portugal? It is similar in size and population to Slovakia and is happy to cooperate with countries that, like them, are partly on the periphery of the EU’s geographical and “project” borders.
A visit to the FabLab run by the Instituto Politécnico da Guarda.
The Polytechnic Institute of Guarda is our partner university in the NEWAVES project. We visited their FabLab, which focuses primarily on prototype production for students.
We were intrigued by 3D printing, where they use filaments that they directly produce from 3D PET bottles. The transformation of PET material from a recycled plastic bottle into another useful object in real time in a single device is an ideal example of a circular, waste-free material economy.
A visit to the FabLab run by the City of Lisbon.
On 23.9.2023 we carried out a visit to FabLab Lisbon, which is run by the city with the aim of extending services to the residents and creatives of Lisbon and promoting the local circular economy.
We were accompanied by Mr José Vaz, Technical Coordinator. We walked through the premises, which originally functioned as a meat processing plant and are now converted into an urban Fablab consisting of artisanal creative workshops in the spirit of revitalization of industrial architecture.
A great inspiration for us was the specialised space BIO FabLab, where they combine biotechnology with creative creation through 3D modelling, e.g. they use the mycelium of mushrooms, which they use to solidify structures of organic origin into the shapes of model interior utility objects.
In the near future, we plan to establish cooperation in the project and technological field and invite them to our university Fablab as a guest in Trenčín ECM 2026.
Visit to the university FCT FabLab at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.
On 22.9.2023 we visited the FabLab of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, one of the best universities in Portugal and one of the top research universities in the EU.
We were accompanied by Susana Neves, architect and designer of FabLab. We were intrigued by a service called “Hacking space”, where new electronic devices are created from electrical waste. We consulted on how to operate within an academic environment and how to get involved in the worldwide FabLab association. In the future, collaboration in the field of high technology in creative production would be possible. In the EU, the concept of so-called super technology FabLabs is being developed, which would be in touch with the latest technologies and would also have the technological know-how to use them.
Visit to FabLab Benfica at Lisbon School of Education
On 22.9.2023 we made a visit to the Benfica FabLab Lisbon School of Education, which was conducted by Mr. Nuno Monge. We went through the technologies, he introduced us to the concept of how FabLab works and the principle of multi-source funding of activities to support the creative industries in Portugal. We planned a possible project collaboration in the field of furniture design from waste wood materials and structures. We were inspired by the recycling of natural cork and its reuse in creative work.
