Opportunities 20 September 2026

Portuguese SMEs get two free days of AI mentoring in Braga this October

The lab runs on 26 and 27 October at Forum Braga, takes teams of one to five, and asks each company to bring one real problem. Applications close on 16 October and the whole thing is held in English.

When: 26 October 2026
Where: Forum Braga, Braga
Price: Free, by application and selection
Organizer: IAPMEI / SpaceX AI
Deadline: 16 October 2026

Apply / Learn more

Most digitalisation schemes ask a small company for a plan. This one asks for a problem.

The SpaceX AI Lab for AI and Digital Transformation runs on 26 and 27 October at Forum Braga, and it is built like a hackathon. Each participating SME brings one concrete challenge from its own operation and spends two days building something against it, with mentoring and AI tooling on hand. A prototype, a workflow, a working solution. Not a slide deck.

Applications opened on 16 September and close on 16 October, with limited places and a selection stage. Taking part costs nothing.

What you need to bring

A team of one to five people, and the problem. IAPMEI is explicit that no prior knowledge of the tools is required, which in practice means the right person to send is not necessarily whoever handles IT. It is whoever knows where the company loses its afternoons.

One condition is worth reading before booking the trip north: the event is held entirely in English. For some Portuguese SMEs that is a non-issue. For others it is very much an issue, and it is exactly the kind of detail that tends to surface after the form has gone in.

Where this sits

Northern Portugal has been accumulating programmes like this. There is also free supercomputer time for anyone building an AI product in Porto, which is a heavier, longer commitment aimed at a different kind of company. Braga is the opposite end of that scale — two days, one problem, no cost and no obligation to continue.

The context explains why these keep appearing. Companies inland and in the centre of the country report that they cannot find people to hire, and when hiring stalls the alternative is getting more out of the people already there. That is the point where an AI tool stops being conference talk and becomes an afternoon back every week.

The detail and the application form sit on the programme page at IAPMEI. The deadline is 16 October, and limited places usually means it does not reach the last day.

By Miguel Sarmento

Image: Joseolgon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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