Lisbon, March 26, 2026 (Lusa) – Telecoms operator, NOS, was the company that invested the most in innovation in Portugal, with €111.6 million in 2024, which manager and CTO Jorge Graça described as a "reason for pride" in statements to Lusa.
According to the ranking published by the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), NOS was the leading company in innovation investment in Portugal, the operator states.
In 2024, the company invested €111.6 million in Research & Development (R&D), a 15% increase compared to 2023, and strengthened its team with 25 more staff, totalling 355 individuals allocated to this area.
"Although we have innovation in our DNA, innovation is an activity in itself and, therefore, requires dedication, commitment, and monitoring," said the manager in charge of the technology portfolio.
"The reason we do it is that it helps us maintain the drive of always pushing technology forward. We anchor this around objectives that we believe are important for the company and for the people," he reinforced.
Jorge Graça highlighted that recently NOS has had a "very strong" focus on "everything related to accessibility and inclusion."
"We managed to create a very virtuous ecosystem here" that helps motivate people and position the group, he added.
Between 2020 and 2024, the accumulated investment in R&D exceeded €420 million.
This ranking is part of the data from the 2024 National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN24), published by the DGEEC.
According to the document, R&D expenditure in the business sector in Portugal grew by 11% compared to the previous year, reaching €3.162 billion and representing 1.09% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Since 2018, NOS has been in the top 3, which demonstrates "a clear and sustained strategic decision" by the operator, Jorge Graça pointed out.
According to the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025, NOS Inovação is among the top three applicants for European patent requests.
Last year, NOS Inovação filed 18 patent applications, according to data released this week.
ALU/RYOL // AYLS
Lusa
