The Director of the Institute of Polymers and Composites (IPC), António Pontes, was part of the Portuguese delegation that visited Singapore, as part of the Portugal-Singapore Research Week. This scientific mission was promoted by the Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU) and the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP), with the aim of strengthening international collaboration in strategic areas of science and technology.

During the mission, technical visits were made to leading companies in the advanced manufacturing sector. One of the highlights was the visit to the Facility for Analysis Characterization Testing Simulation - FACTS, specialized in materials characterization by electron microscopy and X-ray techniques. This center develops atomic-scale research for the optimization and discovery of new materials, contributing to technological advancement in areas such as nanomaterials, surface engineering and functional 3D printing.

The IPC director also had the opportunity to present one of the IPC's outstanding projects, INOV.AM - Innovation in Additive Manufacturing*, to an audience composed of the Portuguese Ambassador to Singapore, NAMIC Singapore and representatives of companies such as Cetim - Matcor Technology & Services Pte Ltd, Panasonic, Makino Additive Manufacturing and Leistritz AG.

This mission represents a significant step in strengthening the link between research carried out in Portugal and the main innovation centers worldwide, creating new opportunities for joint projects, partnerships with industry and sharing of scientific knowledge.

The Portuguese delegation also included other representatives from the University of Minho, University of Porto, University of Coimbra, University of Lisbon, among other key entities in the national ecosystem of innovation in advanced manufacturing.

*INOV.AM, a mobilizing program for Innovation in Additive Manufacturing, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR)