Building the Viana STARTS ecosystem: connecting, inspiring, creating

Viana do Castelo Municipality and the partners involved in this project have conceived Viana STARTS not merely as an initiative to restore a historic building, transform its immediate urban environment, and establish an iconic cultural centre for the city. It is envisioned as a space for connection, interaction, and creation.

Viana STARTS will be able to bring together elements such as education and training, business acceleration, and social development. Besides this, artistic and cultural production, tourism promotion, scientific research and innovation, and economic and environmental sustainability. In fact, art can inspire scientific and technological development, just as science and technology can enrich artistic and cultural production. The connection between science, technology and arts-through ideas, materials, techniques, products, or services, to name a few-can generate new opportunities for the people of Viana do Castelo, from this city to the world.

To make this vision tangible, the ecosystem emerging around Viana STARTS is built upon a set of fundamental characteristics.

Viana STARTS is driven by co-creation and creativity. Its architectural spaces-rooms, courtyards, laboratories-have been conceived not as rigid or predefined areas, but as environments that can adapt to different uses over time. Importantly, Viana STARTS goes beyond the building itself and its architectural renewal, even if that is the initiative’s starting point. The strategy and contents are also envisioned in the same spirit: co-creative, participatory, and open. Programs are expected to remain flexible, evolving with the changing needs of their users and thereby fostering an ecosystem that learns and adapts as it grows.

Indeed, in such an open and adaptable context, reflecting on the functions of the building can guide the design of the first pilot initiatives. These pilots will help test specific actions, clarify the scope and purpose of the centre, and provide a concrete foundation for its future operation.

The Viana STARTS ecosystem can be understood as a network of interconnected nodes-a polynucleated structure that potentially extends across the entire city. The central space may serve as a hub, a core, linking with other venues, centres, institutions or spaces in Viana do Castelo, from its historic centre to the suburbs. For instance, the old slaughterhouse is located just 500 metres from the university campus of the Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC), and less than 2 km from the Municipal Library, on the banks of the Lima River.

This proximity could stimulate not only the areas surrounding all these centres but also the pathways that connect them, encouraging local commerce and networking in spaces such as co-working hubs or public engagement venues. At the same time, the influence of Viana STARTS may go well beyond its urban boundaries. Through social media, digital platforms, and other online tools, it could also connect with communities anywhere, while each node of the network has the potential to act as a gateway to the whole.

Viana STARTS aims to connect people and serve as a link between different age groups and communities. Consider, for instance, the thousands of university, primary, and secondary school students whose interaction with Viana STARTS could inspire their professional aspirations in the fields of art, science, and technology, creating new opportunities for the city.

Collaboration from the IPVC is central, with various focus groups set to explore ideas and future directions for the initiative. IPVC is the leading higher education institution in Viana do Castelo and its surrounding region, playing a key role in fostering knowledge, talent and regional development. In relation to this, dedicated work sessions with IPVC’s scientific community have been held to encourage the exchange of visions for Viana STARTS, linking research, creativity and innovation.

Beyond this, the integration of art, science, and technology may act as a catalyst for business opportunities, contributing to the establishment of commercial and entrepreneurial collaborations, and potentially driving new investments and economic development in Viana do Castelo. These dynamics are mirrored in educational and co-creative initiatives, such as the 2025 NEBLab sessions, where IPVC students designed and developed furniture for the Viana STARTS space.

The Games Hackathon – Tour STARTS Juvenil engaged students and young people from across Viana do Castelo in imagining the future Viana STARTS, developed with the collaboration of Associação Juvenil de Deão (AJD), the youth association based in the parish of Deão that promotes creativity, participation and community awareness among children and youngsters. Through seven sessions held in different parishes of Viana do Castelo, the hackathon provides a platform for participants aged 15 to 25 to express their ideas and creativity, and with prizes of up to EUR 500. From healthy lifestyle board games to geocaching adventures around the city, these initiatives generated valuable insights on the functions and activities Viana STARTS should incorporate, while showcasing the social awareness, innovation, and community-driven vision of the youth.

Through these hands-on projects, students apply their academic knowledge to practical solutions, actively participating in the design of Viana STARTS. This combination of learning, collaboration, and innovation illustrates how social inclusion, civic participation, and the overall vibrancy of city life could benefit from the multiplier effect generated by this ecosystem.

A key element of the ecosystem will be the Artistic Residencies, particularly the S+T+ARTS Aqua Motion programme. With a budget of EUR 40,000 per artist, residencies cover artistic production costs, participation in exhibitions and public events, and access to specialised resources and technical infrastructures provided by the host institutions. Through S+T+ARTS Aqua Motion, around 100 participants from over 15 nationalities are invited to rethink the future of water in Portugal, including local challenges in Viana do Castelo. Here, as part of Viana STARTS program of activities and with the support of INOVA+ and DINAMO10, five residences take place in the city, offering a unique opportunity to create, collaborate, and contribute to sustainable solutions under an interdisciplinary 5-Helix structure-collaborating closely with business, academia, government, environment, and civil society representatives. In this context, INOVA+, as an innovation and business development company, and DINAMO10, as a local networking and community hub, support the project by connecting artists with the local context, facilitating workshops and strengthening engagement with the citizens.

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This form of collaboration allows for concrete connections with creatives, artists, students, and professionals from the international sphere, who typically dedicate part of their time to a stay in order to collaborate with the initiative. Such exchanges can be highly enriching for all participants, potentially extending the impact of Viana STARTS beyond its current boundaries and positioning it within the international arena. At the same time, these interactions help spread awareness of the work being done and the ways it is carried out, potentially attracting new participants and collaborators.

Another fundamental aspect of the ecosystem is learning from successful models. To this end, Viana STARTS connects with other institutions, cities, and spaces-not only through its transfer cities, Brest, Brescia, and Palmas de Gran Canaria, but also by benchmarking leading initiatives in other cities. One illustrative example is Linz, Austria, home of Ars Electronica, a pioneering initiative in digital art, innovation, and technology, featuring a world-renowned museum and annual festival. The city also hosts architecturally restored spaces oriented towards entrepreneurship, hands-on education, and creativity, such as Tabak Fabrik and Grand Garage. First-hand exposure to the methodologies, successes, and lessons learned over time provides valuable insights for the development of the Viana STARTS ecosystem.

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These hands-on benchmarking actions allow the project to learn best practices in methodologies, governance models, and action plans, while also opening the door to potential key, specific, high-impact collaborations with actors on the international stage. 

The aim is to cultivate a vibrant, growing, and constantly evolving ecosystem that is open to intersectoral collaboration and networking. This could help deliver promising outcomes, such as retaining talented young people in the city while attracting external talent, promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship in business models guided by creativity and innovation, and reskilling unemployed individuals interested in new technologies and emerging business models. These examples align with the dynamic character of Viana do Castelo, reflected in the many festivals, exhibitions, and shows that form part of the city’s cultural agenda, creating new spaces and moments for inspiration, interaction, and collaboration among stakeholders of all kinds.