NERLEI – the Entrepreneurial Association of the Leiria Region covers the District of Leiria and it is situated near the coast in the centre of Portugal.

The District of Leiria covers an area of almost 4 000 square kilometres, has around half a million inhabitants and consists of 16 municipalities.

This Region has a strong industrial tradition of making the best use and placing a high value on natural resources which have led to a development of activities related to oldest ones.

Nowadays, the industrial network installed is one of the most diversified and modernized in the Country and plays a relevant part in manufacturing industries, such as ceramics, glass, crystal, moulds and other metallic products, wood and furniture.

The availability of valuable natural resources and a hard-working work-force, the receptive attitudes and entrepreneurial initiative towards technological innovation and global markets and the advantageous geographical position and easy accesses, make this region an area of increasingly important economic progress which provides great advantages for productive investment.

NERLEI would like to have a fundamental role in terms of the integrated development of this region. This objective has led NERLEI, which has its headquarters in the county town – Leiria – to set up branches which allow it to be closer to the entrepreneurial community of the district. In this way, our Association currently has branches in the municipalities of Alcobaça, Batalha, Peniche and Porto de Mós.