The SPARCS team from CENIMAT|i3N has sparked once again!
On July 22nd, 2026, the project secured 1st place at the NOVA Startup Competition 2026, standing out among 10 top startup projects from six NOVA schools. Developed by MSc. Rui Gonçalves, Dr. António Vicente, and Prof. Manuel Mendes, the SPARCS project introduces an innovative, user-friendly modular solar platform designed to bring portability, playfulness, and flexibility to consumer-oriented photovoltaics.
On the Road to Berlin
As the official winner of the NOVA qualifier, the SPARCS team has earned the honor of representing NOVA University Lisbon at StageTwo 2026 – European University Start-up Competition, which will take place in Berlin on October 22-23, 2026. In addition to representing NOVA on one of Europe’s leading university startup stages, the team was awarded a €1500 grant to support their travel expenses.
The competition was judged by a distinguished panel, including:
- Rita Falcão, Director for Innovation, Value Creation and Global Affairs;
- Prof. António Grilo, Full Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management at NOVA FCT;
- Inês de Macedo Santos, Venture Capital Investor at Armilar;
- Miguel Garcês Roxo, Investment Manager at Portugal Ventures.
Huge congratulations to the SPARCS team for this outstanding achievement! We wish them the best of luck as they take their groundbreaking technology to Berlin!