VRARA Portugal partners with the Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications (APDC), where a new section will be created dedicated to augmented reality and virtual reality technologies. The merger may have practical application already at the next congress, scheduled for April 2021.
The announcement was formalized yesterday during the VR / AR Global Summit Online global conference, in a press conference in which SAPO TEK participated. In practice, the Portuguese association of augmented and virtual reality, VRARA Portugal, will become part of the Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications (APDC), creating a new section within the APDC.
“We see the partnership as an opportunity to join forces and strengthen associations in Portugal. We believe that it is better, instead of creating new associations, to join forces and work together to be stronger ”, says Sandra Fazenda Almeida, executive director of APDC. In recent years the association has extended its scope far beyond telecommunications, which was its focus on creation 35 years ago, the immersive technologies area is an important complement, given the growth potential that exists.VR / AR Global Summit Online global
In recent years, three sections were created within APDC, Smart Cities, Portugal Outsourcing, Digital Entrepreneurship, to which VRARA Portugal now joins with the area of augmented reality and virtual reality. "APDC is the association of the digital community and we are bringing together organizations from various areas," said Sandra Fazenda Almeida, recalling that all companies are now technology companies.
This is a partnership that is seen as beneficial on both sides, as explained by Luis Martins, one of the founders of VRARA Portugal. “It is a good combination because when we started the association in 2017 the idea was to create bridges with the business sector”, he explains, recalling that Portugal is a second-tier country and “we need bridges for larger economies and markets, which have investment capacity and hiring that we lack”.
VRARA Portugal's idea is to boost Portuguese talent and innovation capacity to reach other markets, and Luis Martins believes that this way it will also be easier to communicate with large international organizations operating in Portugal.
The number of companies in Portugal working on immersive technologies is growing. “We have almost 100 companies that develop VR / AR solutions exclusively, but also structures that have more than 50% of activity linked to immersive technologies, and also larger companies, such as Siemens, which has a group in Portugal that develops VR technologies and AR globally for the company ”, explains Luis Martins.
But the idea is to continue to grow within APDC as well. “Companies can continue to be members of APDC or VRARA only, but if they are members of both, they have advantages”, he explains.
The experience and knowledge accumulated at VRARA should already be put into practice at the next APDC congress, scheduled for April 2021. Sandra Fazenda Almeida explains that, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, in January, the association had already decided not to hold the congress this year, changing the date to the beginning of 2021. "It is our 30th congress, it is an important date", he explains, adding that digital solutions are being studied to have a hybrid event that can show a virtual reality.
The potential of immersive technologies and the way they are already changing the reality in many companies and services for the end consumer was well seen in the VR / AR Global Summit Online that took place in the last three days, in a non-stop mode through three spindles hours, and that yesterday had several panels dedicated to Portugal.
