Luís Portela honoured with Prémio Personalidade do Norte 2025

The Chairman of the Bial Foundation, Luís Portela, has been honoured with the Prémio Personalidade do Norte 2025, an annual distinction granted by CCDR NORTE – Norte Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission to recognise exceptional contributions to the north’s development and promotion.

As CCDR NORTE states in its announcement, this is “a tribute to the remarkable career of a leader who has decisively shaped the scientific, business, and cultural development of the region and the country”.

“Luís Portela’s path is a prime example of this, for his ability to transform knowledge into economic, social, and cultural value”, highlights the President of CCDR NORTE, António Cunha, adding that “throughout his life, he has helped put Portuguese science on the international map and affirm the North as a territory where innovation becomes value for society. This award is a well-deserved tribute to a leader who continues to inspire generations”.

“It is with great honour and a deep sense of responsibility that I receive this important distinction. It has been a path of hard work but carried out with passion and always with great satisfaction, striving to be useful to others and to contribute to transforming knowledge into value for society”, emphasises Luís Portela.

The award was bestowed during the Fórum Regional 2025, dedicated to the theme “The North in Portugal and Europe – Decentralisation and Cohesion Policies Post-2028?”, held on December 2 at the Cine-Teatro of Amarante, with the presence of the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida.

In previous years, this award honoured winemaker João Rosas Nicolau de Almeida (2024), writer José Rentes de Carvalho (2023), painter Graça Morais (2022), and architect Álvaro Siza Vieira (2021).