Taguspark Hosts Portugal's First International FIRST Tech Challenge Competition Featuring Robotics with Artificial Intelligence

On July 18, Taguspark will host the Lisbon Scrimmage 2026, the first international FIRST competition held in Portugal^Ò Tech Challenge (FTC), which combines robotics with artificial intelligence. The event, organized by RAISEBOX—a robotics and AI startup based at the Taguspark incubator—will bring together 14 teams from seven countries at the Núcleo Central as part of ^FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a 30-year-old U.S. nonprofit organization present in 114 countries with more than four million participants.

In the FTC, students ages 12 to 18 develop autonomous robots capable of making real-time decisions, combining advanced programming, control algorithms, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence techniques. In the 2025–2026 season, themed “DECODE,” teams program their robots to execute complex autonomous sequences before taking manual control—a format that demands both engineering precision and the ability to adapt strategically in real time. The Lisbon Scrimmage 2026 is an off-season event—an exhibition competition that, while not counting toward the world rankings, does not affect the world rankings of participating teams but maintains the rigor and format of an international competition.

“Taguspark is, par excellence, the place where talent, science, and technology come together. Hosting this innovative event is a natural step in our mission to inspire new generations and establish Oeiras as an international hub for innovation and knowledge,” says Professor Eduardo Baptista Correia, CEO of Taguspark.

The event is organized in partnership with RAISEBOX, a startup from the Taguspark Incubator specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence, which recently integrated its first humanoid robot from Unitree Robotics. The competition will also feature Thunderstrike (#33535), the first Portuguese team in this discipline, also based at Taguspark. In its debut year, the team placed 19th in the European Premier Event—Lovelace Division, in the Benelux region, and currently ranks 844th in the world among approximately 9,000 teams.

“Bringing the FTC to Portugal was a clear goal for us. We know from our own experience that competitive robotics transforms the way young people view technology—and, in particular, artificial intelligence. The Lisbon Scrimmage is the seed for an ecosystem we want to see grow in our country. More than just robots, we’re building futures for our young people,” says Luís António, founder and CEO of RAISEBOX.

For RAISEBOX, the Lisbon Scrimmage 2026 is the first step in a five-year strategic vision: the creation of the Iberian FIRST® Tech Challenge League, an annual international competition based in Oeiras. The goal is for this league to regularly bring together more than 100 teams and 1,000 students from Portugal, Spain, and other European countries by 2031.

Check out the full schedule for Lisbon Scrimmage 2026:

• 10:30 a.m. | Doors open and audience arrives
• 11:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. | Opening ceremony
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Qualifying matches
• 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch break
• 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Qualifying matches
• 4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. | Building alliances
• 5:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. | Playoffs, final, and awards ceremony

About the FIRST Tech Challenge.

The FIRST Tech Challenge is one of the world’s largest robotics programs for students ages 12 to 18, who design, build, and program competition robots equipped with artificial intelligence, developing engineering, teamwork, and leadership skills valued by top universities and employers. Companies such as Google, Qualcomm, and Disney sponsor FIRST programs, and universities such as MIT, TU/e, and ETH Zurich recognize participation in FIRST programs as a distinguishing factor in their admissions processes. In Portugal, the program is promoted and organized by RAISEBOX.