Communities thrive on trust, candor, and shared purpose. As they grow, preserving those qualities becomes increasingly difficult. From the beginning, Tagus was designed to remain intentionally small, allowing relationships to develop naturally and conversations to remain open, honest, and confidential.

When we selected the concepts for Lisbon 2026, however, we found ourselves with an unusual challenge. The quality of the submissions was exceptional, and several concepts narrowly missed being selected despite having enormous potential to benefit from the collective experience of the Tagus community.

Rather than expanding the Lisbon program, we decided to do something different.

The Porto Edition is a one-time Bonus Edition—an opportunity to support two additional concepts while preserving the intimate format that defines Tagus. Hosted by the Centre of Engineering and Product Development (CEiiA), it is not intended to become a second annual conference or a larger version of Lisbon. It is simply a way of giving something back to the community that has helped make Tagus what it is today.

In many ways, Porto is a celebration of the Tagus community itself—a chance to reflect on how far we've come, strengthen the relationships that have been built along the way, and look ahead to what comes next.