News Porto.

LIPOR and associated municipalities, including Porto City Hall, were able to reuse 13.719 tons of material goods. This sustainable process was equivalent to saving 700 thousand euros in waste residue treatment and also saved 2.872 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The SaltPay Group acquired 90% of the payment solution national company's capital Pagaqui, and it will invest 40 million euros in a new technological centre in Porto. There is a team of 40 people working remotely, owing to the pandemic, but another 140 people are to be hired till the end of 2021. It will depend on the end of the lockdown. Still, the target is to hire up until 550 collaborators in two years’ time.

Steam trains that were stored in the Port of Leixões will undergo restoration mends in the train maintenance facility of Comboios de Portugal (CP), located in the train station of Contumil, in Porto. This fascinating railroad heritage will be displayed to the community.

On 25 February, Porto Municipal Theatre (TMP) takes to the online stage the performance “F...”, by the Estrutura company. The São João National Theatre (TNSJ) features, as well, two performances online, which will be delivered these coming days.

Critical TechWorks company, a joint venture by BMW and Portuguese company Critical Software, is hiring. Over 400 job opportunities, especially C++ engineers. Less than three years ago, trend setter and world class automobile engineering, aka BMW has chosen Porto to reach its next milestone: building the car of the future, jointly with Critical Software, by developing and producing a pioneer software that will be used in the BMW automobile fleet.

Circa 100 artists responded to the open call launched by WOMEX, regarding the inauguration evening. There are now 50 proposals for WOMEX 2021 opening line-up. The World Music Expo is scheduled to happen from 27th to 31st October, in Porto.

The first Porto City Hall budget revision for 2021 is now concluded. The Municipal Assembly agreed to enter another 51.7 million euros to support the assistance measures that mitigate the harm caused by Covid-19, during the Special Session of the Municipal Assembly. The solution, Rui Moreira advances, would be in the review of the Law of Local Finance, which would enable access by the Municipality to other income, like the revenue resulting from VAT.

The University of Porto and the remaining partner universities at the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH) have started, last January, the EUGLOHRIA project, which has been financed with 2 million euros in the framework of the SwafS – Science with and for Society, under the H2020 programme.

Porto City Hall is preparing a cooperation agreement with both taxi shuttles in town to transport the elderly to the vaccination centres, namely the Health Centres in the Western and Eastern part of the city. Rui Moreira announced the news on 22nd February, during the Municipal Executive meeting.

Porto was shortlisted among the 13 European cities to produce unicorns, in the coming years, according to the findings of the Startup Cities Alliance (SCALE) report. The Invicta is pinpointed By the SCALE report as one of the cities in Europe where unicorns are building up; that is, a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion.