The commitment to sustainability, innovation and regeneration brought together more than 300 people at the 4th INSURE.hub international conference at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto. A landmark event centred on sharing knowledge and building bridges between academia and industry.
The concept of wise innovation, regeneration as a way of balancing the global system and many stories of social impact were highlighted at the conference. Around these themes there is a growing community that is committed to sustainability and the challenges it imposes.
As Miguel Athayde Marques, vice-rector of UCP, said, “INSURE.hub is a successful project at Católica”. During the opening session of the conference, the vice-rector said that “universities have a crucial role to play in transformation”. “It's our duty to anticipate. We have to be able to capture trends and understand the needs of institutions and companies.” The UCP vice-rector also emphasised Católica's commitment to sustainability and society, explaining that sustainability and ESG factors are incorporated into the university's strategy.
Wise innovation
What is wise innovation? “It's innovation that is done in the right way for the right reasons.” Varun Nagaraj, dean and professor at the Jain Institute of Management & Research in Mumbai and keynote speaker at the conference, explored the concept of wise innovation as a means for sustainable development. The speaker explained and shared the importance of “applying wisdom practices in innovation to judge and act correctly when choosing means and ends”. Varun Nagaraj also warns of the need to be attentive and closely monitor the results of innovation and points out that there is a “gap in knowledge about how to implement innovation that truly creates positive net benefits over time”.
During his speech, the speaker presented ways to answer the question “Is there a better way for organisations to innovate?” Commitment to wise innovation and wisdom practices are the answer.
From ideas to action
From ideas to impact is the name of the book by Michael Sheldrick, keynote speaker at the conference. The speaker had the opportunity to share his vision on transforming ideas into concrete actions and on the path of policies for entrepreneurship. A testimony that emphasised the importance of impact – “Take an action”. Michael Sheldrick challenged the audience with knowledge and ideas that inspire. As co-founder of Global Citizen - an international education and advocacy organisation with a mission to end extreme poverty around the world - Michael Sheldrick has worked with governments, companies, foundations, the artist community and ordinary citizens to distribute more than 40 billion dollars worldwide over the last decade. A session where the speaker was able to share many stories explaining the implementation of social impact through policy change. The speaker called for the importance of “accelerating social impact in the real world by promoting systemic policy change.”
Wayne Visser, director of Kaleidoscope Futures and also keynote speaker at the conference, addressed the theme “Thriving: Innovation to Regenerate Nature, Society, and the Economy”, highlighting how innovation can regenerate the balance of the planet. “Why do we need to change?” The speaker shared a number of facts that describe the need to move “from collapse to advancement” - climate change, the extinction of certain species, social inequalities, among others. For the speaker, these are “shocks to the global system” that need to be transformed. A presentation that challenged the audience to reflect on the necessary transitions in order to thrive in nature, society and the economy.
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence: a path to sustainability
During the afternoon of the first day of the conference, the focus was on the intersection between technology and sustainability, with a session organised by the Portuguese Data Science Association (DSPA) entitled “Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Sustainability”. The speakers, including António Silva Ferreira, Dalila Sepúlveda, Miguel Montenegro Silva and Miguel Moreira da Silva, moderated by Isabel Horta, explored the role of data science and artificial intelligence in creating sustainable solutions to global challenges. Moderator Isabel Horta kicked off the discussion with an appeal to the importance of collaboration and of bringing together experts from different fields for a comprehensive debate capable of generating concrete changes.
The impact of AI on employee productivity and quality of life, the importance of data processing for planning the future, the impact of data science on the sustainable development of cities and the impact on banking were some of the main points discussed. We need to “accelerate transformation in the different sectors of society”.
Academia and Industry
One day dedicated to academia and the other to industry: two days that complement each other and show that the planet's sustainable future depends on building bridges and transferring knowledge from academia to companies. Many researchers were present to present their papers and studies, as well as several representatives from companies and organisations who came to share their path to sustainability with inspiring practices and projects.
Isabel Braga da Cruz, pro-rector of UCP, emphasised the university's commitment to sustainability, recalling the areas of activity of INSURE.hub, this “vibrant international ecosystem of multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge”. The UCP pro-rector reiterated the importance of bringing companies and organisations together and also pointed out that INSURE.hub is bearing fruit and that some of the projects are already in the implementation phase.
The first day of the event was dedicated to academia, with presentations of different papers in the areas of Natural and Social Sciences. These sessions made it possible to share research and debate the challenges and opportunities in the field of sustainability.
On the second day of the event, two round tables fleshed out the many concepts shared and discussed during the conference with keynote speakers, with speakers sharing experiences and concrete examples that inspire and help chart the way forward. Regenerative industry was the theme of the two round tables. The first, moderated by Luís Rochartre, featured Gabriel Sousa from Altri, João Manso Preto from Greenvolt and Inês Mota from Mota Engil. The second round table, moderated by Manuela Pintado, featured Rodrigo Ribeiro from Savinor UTS, Marlos Silva from SonaeMC and Graça Borges from the Superbock Group.
Another edition of the conference that's here to stay
INSURE.hub is an example of this collaboration and co-creation between different sectors of society. It seeks to be at the forefront of promoting innovation, sustainability and regeneration and is the result of the mobilisation of the UCP, through its Faculties - Católica Porto Business School and Faculty of Biotechnology - and Planetiers New Generation. Inspiring, challenging and promoting change through sustainability and regeneration are the main objectives of INSURE.hub, an innovative platform that brings together more than 85 partners. For four years it has sought to converge knowledge and practices in sustainability, promoting a space for the exchange of ideas between students, academics and professionals. For the co-leaders of INSURE.hub there is no doubt: “we exist to enable profound transformation and evolution.”
João Pinto, dean of Católica Porto Business School, Manuela Pintado, director of the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry and lecturer at the School of Biotechnology, and António Vasconcelos, from Planetiers New Generation, are the co-leaders of INSURE.hub. Together on stage at the start of the conference, they had the opportunity to present the initiative, explaining its mission, the involvement of its partners, the projects being promoted and also the main challenges they want to address.
“This conference is a vital opportunity to share experiences and discuss solutions that boost sustainability in the national and global context. The multidisciplinary approach is fundamental, because when we talk about sustainability problems they are usually impossible to solve with the eyes of just one discipline,” says João Pinto.
Manuela Pintado shares that the conference aims to “demonstrate the importance of this platform as a transformative initiative that shares transdisciplinary and innovative knowledge, essential for the fulfilment of Europe's 2030 targets and the European Green Deal”. The INSURE.hub co-leader also states that “innovation is the key to sustainability and at INSURE.hub we drive ideas that transform society and the environment. This innovation has promoted the integration of sustainability into companies, creating value and strengthening their competitiveness at national and international level.”
“We propose to dedicate increasing efforts to sustainability and regeneration literacy, as well as to strengthening the connection and cooperation between the business sector, society and the new generations,” says António Vasconcelos, The co-leader reinforces INSURE.hub's great commitment to “mobilising people, be they companies or society itself. We have to empower and challenge them to change.”
Eyes set on the future and on the next edition of the conference
The INSURE.hub conference was also marked by the awarding of prizes for the best papers in the areas of Natural and Social Sciences. “Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism to uncover the potential of insect-derived peptides in sustainable and effective Alzheimer's treatment”, by Ana Mesias, won the KPMG Best Paper Presentation Award and “Boosting supply chain simulation processes using multi-target machine learning”, by João Nuno Gonçalves, won the MDS Best Paper Presentation Award.
The conference, which took place on 29 and 30 October at the Carvalho Guerra Auditorium, was attended by national and international experts. It was another successful edition of the conference that will continue the journey towards a more sustainable world. Wayne Visser's poem inspires the way: “Let's change the world, let's shift it; Let's shake and remake it; Let's rearrange the pieces. (...) Let's change the world, let's lift it; Let's take it and awake it; Let's challenge every leader. (...) Let's change the world, let's love it; Let's hold it and unfold it; Let's redesign the future.”
Always looking to the future, the INSURE.hub international conference is a place where new sustainable solutions are developed and where a community that is truly committed to the future comes together. Now that the fourth edition of the conference is over, we're all thinking about the next edition. See you on 29 and 30 October 2025!
