UnicornQuest | PACT leads unicorn attraction network
"Soumodip Sarkar, president of the Alentejo Science and Technology Park, tells JE that the innovation network UnicornQuest wants to attract and retain unicorns through differentiation.
The PACT – Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia do Alentejo leads a European innovation network that aims to attract unicorns through differentiation via growth under the principles and values of the EU, such as respect for human rights, freedom, democracy, and equality.
The news was revealed to Jornal Económico by Soumodip Sarkar, president of PACT – Parque do Alentejo de Ciência e Tecnologia.
The UnicornQuest network is made up of nine regions and starts with three major objectives: “co-designing the unicorn forests of the partner regions”, along with regional policy instruments, through the creation of policies and tools to attract future unicorns, which “work in the field of innovation and green technologies through the application of ethical standards and a human-centered design, according to the principles and values of the EU.”
The network also wants to improve nine regional policy instruments within 36 months.
With the creation of 85 start-ups valued at one billion dollars or more in 2021, the real problem is their failure to remain on European soil. The 2022 report “In Search of EU Unicorns” by the European Commission describes a scenario in which more than 40 companies — including Just Eat, Skype, Transferwise, and UiPath — born on European soil, ended up creating thousands of jobs and billions of euros in investment in headquarters relocated outside the Union.
To try to reverse the situation, the partner regions of UnicornQuest want to offer “differentiation measures” to compete with the large concentration of unicorns existing in European capitals and the USA. This work involves identifying existing good practices, preparing regional and national studies, and holding Interregional Learning events, among others, which allow them to expose their ecosystem’s strengths and needs to the consortium.
“These valleys will attract unicorns through differentiation via growth under the principles and values of the EU, such as respect for human rights, freedom, democracy, and equality.”
PACT was born in 2016 when Soumodip Sarkar was vice-rector of the University of Évora and launched the bridge that would later connect the academic world, companies, and associations in the region. In addition to UÉ, the main shareholder, the project also involves the Polytechnic Institutes of Portalegre, Beja, and Santarém, independent Research and Development (R&D) centers, and some private entities."
This article is the English translation of the original piece published by O Jornal Económico (03.05.2025), with no alterations made to the content. The original article can be read here: https://jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/noticias/parque-de-ciencia-e-tecnologia-do-alentejo-lidera-rede-de-inovacao-europeia/