YOUTUBER NUNO AGONIA WAS ONE OF THE GUESTS AT THE EVENT, WHICH INCLUDED PEDRO DOMINGUINHOS, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL PRR MONITORING COMMITTEE, FOR THE CLOSING.

PACT – Alentejo Science and Technology Park officially presented xBoost , the acceleration program for start-ups in the video games area in Portugal , within the scope of the eGames Lab project , one of the PRR that promises to strengthen the national economy, in terms of resilience.

As part of the Employability and Innovation Fair (FEI) , organized by the Academic Association of the University of Évora , the kick-off event took place on April 22, 2025 , at the Colégio do Espírito Santo of the University of Évora , and brought together dozens of students.

Soumodip Sarkar , Executive Chairman of PACT, opened the session and highlighted the global growth of the gaming industry and the relevance that this area also presents for companies . “This new digital world is here to stay and PACT intends to be part of it”, he said. “xBoost is an ambitious program , with enormous potential, and which will contribute to the creation of start-ups in the gaming area , as the eGames Lab project foresees”.

This was followed by the “Nuno Agonia in the 1st person” moment , in which participants got to know better the career of YouTuber Nuno Agonia , winner of the Cinco Estrelas 2025 award in the Digital Influencers – Technology and Gaming category, and his perspective on the new challenges and opportunities created by emerging technologies . Tiago Teotónio Pereira , Executive Director of the Alentejo 2030 Regional Program , was the moderator of this segment.

In turn, the panel discussion “Accelerating the Future of Video Games in Portugal” , which had as guests entrepreneurs and professionals from the sector , helped to outline the national panorama of the industry and to understand how the eGames Lab consortium intends to consolidate national participation in the video games industry and leverage the national economy. Speakers Cláudio Telo Pestana, eGames Lab Project Manager, Rui Ferreira, Former CEO of PORTUGAL CAPITAL VENTURES , and André Miraldo – Marketing Lead at Infinity Games , also helped to explain how programs like xBoost can be a launch pad for innovative projects . The debate was moderated by Américo Mateus, CEO of “ GUDA – Give u Design Art, Ldª ”.

The President of the National Monitoring Committee of the PRR closed the event, acknowledging that the architecture of public policy for emerging sectors needs to be made more flexible. “New realities require co-creation strategies”, he said, recalling the importance of joint work between academia and companies to strengthen the ecosystem. Pedro Dominguinhos also highlighted the significant support of the PRR in the creation of companies with the capacity to pay good salaries and thus retain qualified human resources , both national and foreign.

Also present at the event were Tiago Navarro Marques, Director of the School of Arts at the University of Évora , and Beatriz Calado, President of the Academic Association of the University of Évora.

With xBoost , PACT aims to empower students, entrepreneurs and start-ups and support innovative gaming projects . The competition will offer mentorship from international experts, access to dedicated funding sources and, as a final prize, the winner will have the opportunity to travel for free to Silicon Valley , the world’s epicenter of innovation and cutting-edge technology. The application deadline is May 15.

xBoost is part of “Unlock: Unlock your game” , a set of initiatives promoted by PACT, within the scope of the  eGames Lab Portugal project , which is financed by the PRR and the European Next Generation EU funds.