Cisco and Portugal's Government Announce Collaboration to Accelerate Country Digitization

Collaboration focuses on innovative tech start-ups, digital infrastructures, digital skills, and cybersecurity

 

LISBON, Portugal, March 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Government of Portugal and Cisco signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate country digitization. The signing followed a meeting yesterday between Portugal's Prime Minister António Costa, Cisco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins, and Sofia Tenreiro, General Manager of Cisco Portugal.

Over the next two years, Portugal and Cisco will cooperate to capture opportunities presented by a digital economy, with the aim to positively impact economic growth, education, innovation, and competitiveness as well as social inclusion and quality of life.

The MoU will focus on several key points that are part of Portugal's National Reforms Program. These include support for entrepreneurship and business innovation, with a specific focus on start-ups; increasing and improving digital skills; the application of innovative digital technologies across public sector services, education, Industry 4.0, mobility; and cybersecurity.

Key highlights

• Entrepreneurship and digital innovation: Supporting tech start-ups is one of the main pillars of the government's digital strategy. Cisco will continue the collaboration with Startup Portugal in priority areas such as security, mobility, and Internet of Things. Cisco also intends to evaluate support for other start-up programs and provide local start-ups with access to its European Venture Capital initiative and Incubation program to help them accelerate their business and expand internationally.
   
• Digital skills and smart education: Cisco will use its proven Cisco® Networking Academy® (NetAcad) program to provide training for digital skills, with courses focused on next-generation networks and cybersecurity. Cisco and the Ministry of Education will evaluate the use of NetAcad content in secondary schools, and there is an objective to reach other organizations and people above the age of 45. The goal is to increase the annual number of students from around 3,000 currently to 7,000 by 2020. Furthermore, Cisco intends to help the Ministry design smart campuses and the digital school of the future to optimize study environments.