At the closure of the 1st Campaign of the Route to the Innovatory Communities, which was held in the Entre Douro e Vouga Region, the President of the Republic decorated several personalities and institutions which distinguished themselves as innovators throughout their lives or in the exercise of their activities..

The award ceremony took place in São João da Madeira, with the presence of the community representatives from more than a dozen counties and during which President Aníbal Cavaco Silva delivered a speech.

On this occasion the following personalities and institutions were decorated (with the orders and degrees in brackets): Dr. José Girão Pereira (Grand Officer of the Order of Merit); Sister Conceição Laranjeiro (Commander of the Order of Public Education); Espinho Music Academy (Honorary Member of the Order of Public Education); APCOR – Portuguese Cork Association(Honorary Member of the Order of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Merit – Class of Industrial Merit); and APICCAPS – Portuguese Association of Manufacturers of Shoes, Components, Leather Goods and Substitutes (Honorary Member of the Order of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Merit – Class of Industrial Merit).