ATTCEI is a proven non-profit association, pioneer in Portugal, in its mission and specific goals, which are linked with knowledge and technology transfer, open to collaboration from any individual citizen and any entity which aims to contribute toward the technological and economical development of Portugal and the association's goals.

This association was founded on November 3rd 2009, by Professors from the Escola Superior de Tecnologia of Setúbal, and is currently mostly constituted by individual and collective associates. Among the individual associates we include Professors and Researchers from various Research Centers, from University and Polytechnical Institutes, as well as other specialists in different areas of knowledge and technical and scientific know-how.

Any singular person, national or foreign, who is interested in developing ATTCEI's goals and accepts its statutes can become an ordinary member of the association. The association also contemplates honorary members, who may be singular or collective persons.

We live in a globalized world, where competitivity has rapidly become the key to the development and growth of enterprises, the economy and the country. Innovation and technological development are paramount to maintaining the competitivity and internationalization of enterprises.

The Portuguese economic tissue is known to be mostly comprised of small and medium companies, which do not possess their own means to carry out research, thereby limiting their ability for innovation and development. On the other hand, there remains a large gap between businesses and centers of knowledge, namely Research Centers, Universities and Polytechnical Institutes. This reality is responsible for making the development and growth of the Portuguese economy a more difficult endeavor.

ATTCEI and its associates are certain of the importance and need to work toward an approximation and close cooperation between Enterprises, Researchers and Higher Education and Research Institutions, so as to transfer technology, knowledge and innovation to companies and society, which would result in mutual benefits that are recognizable to all.

The Judicial Regime of the Higher Education Institutions (Law number 62/2007) holds that the duty of Higher Education Institutions includes the participation in "activities connecting them to society, namely the spreading and transfer of knowledge, as well as the economic valuation of scientific knowledge".

ATTCEI, as an interface entity, aims to contribute toward the Transfer of Technology and Knowledge to Enterprises and Institutions.

Thus, ATTCEI's purpose is to energize, in a structured and directed manner, the diffusion and transfer of technology and knowledge that exists in National and International Higher Education Institutions and Scientific Systems to businesses and other institutions.

ATTCEI promotes Applied Investigation in innovative areas of interest to companies, higher education institutions and society itself.

ATTCEI aims to tackle these challenges, with the primary goal of continually developing its activity in the areas of research and transfer of technology and knowledge in several areas, namely engineering and business organization, playing the role of an energizing force and a facilitator for the interaction between the many agents of development.

ATTCEI aims to perform with excellence, assuming the principles of ethics, confidentiality and confidence as a basis for its actions and the relationship between enterprises and Investigators. The organization builds partnerships based on competence, shared responsibility and reciprocal interest in concrete objectives and projects in Investigation and Innovation, allowing for the solution of complex problems and responding, in an adequate and timely manner, to requests from enterprises and other associate and partner entities.

As a pioneer in this difficult task of connecting companies and research and knowledge centers, ATTCEI also aims to create a "demonstration effect" through its actions, which raises interest in the launch of new entities with an identical mission and goals.

1. In accordance with its statutes, the association has the following general goals:
a) To promote and support the transfer of technology and knowledge to enterprises and institutions, thereby promoting development;
b) To promote and support scientific and technological research;
c) To promote and support exchanges between the general higher education facilities and other collective persons, in the interests of the development and transfer of technology and knowledge;
d) To promote the economic valuation of scientific knowledge;
e) To contribute toward promoting the image and development of higher education in general, through cooperation with several different entities;
f) To cooperate with enterprises and other entities in joint actions, which may involve other parties, through national or international TR&D projects;
g) To promote innovation and use of efficient technologies in a perspective of sustainable development, emphasizing energy sources and materials.

2. To achieve its goals, the association intervenes:
a) By participating in activities connected with society, namely those related to the diffusion and transfer of knowledge, as well as the economical valuation of scientific knowledge;
b) By promoting and energizing TR&D projects in cooperation with higher education institutions, research institutions and companies;
c) By identifying funding opportunities;
d) By identifying and developing partnership opportunities with companies and institutions;
e) By creating business opportunities;
f) By promoting training actions as well as scientific and technological upgrading;
g) By performing consulting actions;
h) By creating documentation centers for its members' perusal;
i) By supporting and/or editing publications for the diffusion of studies and projects;
j) By establishing contacts with similarly-focused organizations.

ATTCEI deals with Research and Innovation (R&I) in different areas of knowledge, to its associates' and partners' direct benefit.

Knowledge and technology transfer can have, in each concrete case, the final goal of performing Research and Innovation in the form of: a new PRODUCT; a new or improved PROCESS, or a new Organizational METHOD.

As an entity devoted to knowledge and technology transfer, ATTCEI, constituted by researchers and companies, works toward the development and introduction of more efficient technologies, as well as process optimization, in a perspective of rational and efficient use of equipment and HR, the reduction of energy consumption, materials, and costs.

ATTCEI works in tandem with companies and other entities in joint actions, which may involve other parties of the following kinds: enterprises, local, regional, national or international. The institution may intervene through TR&D and Innovation, studies, training actions, consulting, process research and development, technology, prototyping, equipments, etc.

ATTCEI executes technology and knowledge transfer through its associates and Doctorate researchers and other specialists in several areas of knowledge, working in several Universities, Polytechnical Institutes and Research Centers.

ATTCEI incentivizes, facilitates and establishes contacts and partnerships between Researchers and Enterprises, with the purpose of developing ideas and projects that arise either from the companies' needs, aiming for solutions for the improvement and innovation of their processes and/or products, or by researchers who are looking for companies interested in applying their ideas, Research and Innovation.

ATTCEI consists of Individual Associates and Collective Associates. ATTCEI's Individual Associates are Researchers and other Specialists in several areas of knowledge, who perform Research and Innovation activities in different Research Centers and Universities and Polytechnical Institutes and work as a network, cooperating in the context of ATTCEI.

Currently, ATTCEI includes as its Individual Associates: 16 Doctorates, 9 Masters and 17 Engineers and other members who are specialized in different areas of knowledge.

The main areas of technical and scientific knowledge and research of ATTCEI associates are: mechanics; chemistry; electrotechnical engineering; electronics; telecommunications; mathematics and statistics; computer science; quality; energy and energy efficiency; process optimization and management; information and communication technologies; databases and information systems; material and energy management and valuation of solid urban waste; the valuation of biomass and combustion; industrial organization, with respect to maintenance, quality, safety, reliability, risk analysis and failure analysis in service and logistics, among others.