HCP is a private non-profit association founded in 2008, aggregating and representing the Portuguese Health sector value chain, with more than 185 members, including:

• R&D institutions
• Academia (Universities/Polytechnics)
• Public, private and social sector hospitals
• Medical devices and MedTech companies (startups, SMEs and corporate)
• Pharma and biotech companies (startups, SMEs and corporate)
• Incubators, Tech Parks
• (…)

HCP helps companies, from startups to SMEs and large companies, namely by bringing them into contact with other organizations and relevant players of the Health sector value chain, such as R&D institutions that generate knowledge, innovators who want to test solutions, potential clients, regulators, among others. The structured relationships with a curated network of partners such as regional authorities, industrial clusters, SME associations, business development agencies, incubators, accelerators, EEN, EIT Centers and chambers of commerce greatly helps these brokering activities.
The brokering role includes finding local and international partners in articulation with other clusters and networks, to create awareness, test and experiment technologies, promote knowledge and technology transfer.
HCP is also involved in promoting innovation through dissemination and training services that meet the specific needs and challenges of the Health sector, in articulation and co-creation with both private and public institutions.
The Cluster also promotes access to funding opportunities, both private and public, by mapping and disseminating calls, by organizing info days and workshops, by setting up working groups and consortia, among other activities.
Because HCP works as a multidisciplinary Facilitating Platform, covering a wide and diverse range of activities, its working model is based on a light and agile structure composed of highly trained professionals. The HCP Executive Team is composed of highly qualified human resources with diverse and complementary backgrounds and competences. This team works in close collaboration with the members of the different Governing Bodies, namely the Board of Directors (composed by recognized actors and representatives of different entities of the Health value chain), and with the associate members of the HCP, organized in the format of working groups and thematic subclusters.

• Promote Health as an economic driver ultimately generating added value for the companies, public administration and to the citizens;
• Foster innovation (and open innovation) in health by promoting awareness about its importance for the citizens, the health professionals and the economy;
• Promote health literacy and training;
• Facilitate the strategic cooperation between industry segments, including ICT, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, medical devices, equipment and materials, nanotechnology and services, in order to encourage the development of competitive solutions in areas of technology convergence aimed at the international market;
• Enable and facilitate access to funding – including public funding, venture capital and business angels – to startups, SMEs, mid-caps and public entities, for the development of health products and services;
• Attract foreign investment to the Health sector in Portugal;
• Develop critical mass to promote sustainable competitiveness and the internationalization of the Health sector, envisaging a knowledge-based economy and society;
• Promote international recognition of the Portuguese Health sector, through the promotion of the Health Portugal brand, the organization of direct and reverse missions and joint participation in fairs, and the mediation of contacts and partnerships;

International networks and partnerships:

• Scanbalt Health Meta-cluster: Health meta-cluster in the Baltic region, with whom the Health Cluster Portugal actively collaborates on the creation of a European Health Data Space, as part of the working group which prepared and published the ScanBalt Joint Declaration;
• 1MGenomes European Network: European network for sharing genetic and clinical data to provide cross-border access to one million sequenced genomes by 2022, with the aim of increasing knowledge in the prevention and treatment of rare diseases, cancer and neurological diseases. The Health Cluster Portugal integrates this network through the Portuguese Industry Liaison working group;
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS): global leader that supports the transformation of the health ecosystem through information and technology. The Health Cluster Portugal collaborates with HIMSS to boost the Portuguese ecosystem of health technologies.
• European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP): Initiative promoted by the Cluster Internationalization Program with the aim of improving the performance of its members and increasing their competitiveness through international cooperation. The Health Cluster Portugal is an actively collaborating member of this network.
• Health Level Seven International (HL7): The Health Cluster Portugal collaborates with this initiative, through its Portuguese community HL7.pt, to promote standards for the integration and sharing of health data.
• EIT Health Innostars Portuguese branch: the HCP actively collaborates with the EITh networks through its regional innostars branch, namely in the organization of meetings and conferences, in strategic cooperation for the support of healthtech startups, etc.