Universidade Portucalense – Infante D. Henrique
Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique is a cooperative higher education and scientific research establishment
ICM
ICM — International Credit Mobility | Running since 2017
The primary goal of International Credit Mobility (ICM) (KA171) within the Erasmus+ program for 2021-2027 is to promote internationalization of higher education by supporting individual learning mobility between Programme Countries (primarily EU) and Partner Countries (non-EU). This includes facilitating student and staff mobility for study, teaching, and training, fostering knowledge exchange, and strengthening partnerships between institutions.
Main objectives
ICM aims to provide opportunities for students and staff to experience education and training in different cultural and academic contexts.
- Strengthening existing partnerships by facilitating the exchange of students, staff, and knowledge
- Encouraging new collaborations, potentially leading to joint programs or research initiatives
- Transversal skills: communication, languages, critical thinking, problem-solving, intercultural skills
- Forward-looking skills: digital and green skills
- Professional skills: new teaching methodologies, research practices, professional development
ICM contributes to building stronger societal links through educational exchanges and mobility, fostering intercultural understanding and promoting active citizenship.
The partnership with Adriatic University Bar, Montenegro, aims to deepen academic cooperation in the field of sustainable wine tourism and the enhancement of wine-growing territories. The activities include a total of 12 mobilities, namely 4 students and 2 staff from Montenegro to Universidade Portucalense, and 4 students and 2 staff from Universidade Portucalense to Montenegro. These mobilities will be supported by comparative research, field visits, and joint working sessions, fostering the exchange of good practices between regions at different stages of wine tourism development.
Throughout the project, students will be involved in collecting and analysing data on viticulture practices, territorial development strategies, and governance models. Academic staff will contribute to curriculum modernisation and the exchange of pedagogical methods, strengthening institutional ties. This collaboration will support the growth of the wine tourism sector in Montenegro by bridging academia and local communities, reinforcing wine tourism as a driver of economic diversification and heritage preservation.
The collaboration with the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP) is framed by a shared vision for territorial regeneration through sustainable wine tourism. A total of 4 incoming mobilities to Portugal have been approved: 2 students and 2 staff members from Brazil will carry out mobility periods at Universidade Portucalense, engaging in applied research, comparative studies, and interaction with local stakeholders in the wine sector.
This partnership will allow for the analysis and comparison of sustainable practices between the wine regions of Minas Gerais and Portugal, promote regenerative tourism in post-extractive territories, and contribute to the development of inclusive and sustainable public policies. Planned activities include thematic seminars, workshops with local producers, joint publications, and the creation of collaboration networks among academia, the productive sector, and policymakers. Mobility will offer participants direct contact with consolidated wine tourism experiences, strengthening UFOP's role in fostering sustainable rural transformation in Brazil.
The collaboration with SUNY Potsdam, United States, reinforces transatlantic cooperation in sustainable tourism and responsible wine tourism, using the Douro Valley as a case study. The project includes 7 mobilities in total, with 2 students and 2 staff from SUNY coming to Universidade Portucalense, and 2 students and 1 staff member from UPT going to SUNY. Activities involve internships with partner institutions, focus groups with tourists and residents, and collaborative research on visitor flow management and the mitigation of tourism impacts in vineyard landscapes.
Staff mobility will contribute to teaching and applied research, integrating participatory methodologies and co-developing policy recommendations for sustainable wine destinations. The exchange will enrich student training by fostering skills in innovation, sustainability, and global citizenship. Institutional cooperation will be further consolidated through joint publications and may lead to the development of a shared international master's programme between UPT and SUNY.
The application process is organized twice a year, usually in June (Fall semester) and December (Spring semester). The deadline will be detailed on the Call for Applications.
- Be enrolled in the sending HEI in the 2nd or 3rd year of the bachelor's, or in a master's degree, in Heritage, Hospitality Management, Tourism and Leisure, or Business and Administration
- Be proficient in Portuguese or have at least level B1 in English
- Have competencies for advanced study or research in an international environment
- Academic merit
- Real participation of people with fewer opportunities (economic obstacles or disabilities)
- Motivation letter in English (max. one A4 page)
- Prior participation in projects in the areas stated above
After the mobility gets approval, send the following documents to incoming@upt.pt:
- Copy of passport, visa, and insurance
- Application form provided by UPT
- Photo in JPEG or PNG format
- Transcript of records
- Learning agreement
- Research plan, if applicable
- Erasmus+ Grant Application form
- Erasmus+ Beneficiary Bank Account Details
The UPT International Office verifies and validates the application documents.
- Have publications in Heritage, Hospitality Management, or Tourism and Leisure, preferably indexed in WOS or Scopus
- Have previous experience guiding students, preferably abroad
- Have prior experience in international research activities in the areas above
To be defined.
- Copy of passport and insurance (health, accident, and travel)
- Application form provided by UPT
- Photo in JPEG or PNG format
- Mobility agreement for Teaching
- Erasmus+ Grant Application form
- Erasmus+ Beneficiary Bank Account Details
The UPT International Office verifies and validates the application documents.
- A minimum of 5 consecutive working days
- A minimum of 8 teaching hours per week is mandatory. For stays longer than one week, this requirement increases proportionally (e.g. 1.6 hours per additional day)
ICM at Universidade Portucalense has run continuously since 2017, consolidating cooperation between UPT and higher education institutions outside the European Union. Its core purpose has always been to promote incoming student mobility and the exchange of best practices through staff and teacher mobility. Below is a record of the three previous editions of the project, with their partners, activities, and testimonials.
Open classes for the 2nd-cycle programme in Clinical and Health Psychology were held by staff from Montclair State University (MSU): Prof. Carrie Masia presented on school-based intervention for social anxiety disorder, and Prof. Samantha Coyle addressed the positive and negative aspects of peer relationships in adolescence.
Sara Fernandes (PhD, UPT) described the open classes as a valuable opportunity for staff and students to engage directly with international perspectives, noting that such exchanges validate students' learning while giving teachers a chance to discuss ideas and improve constantly as researchers.
Vânia Araújo, a Master's student in Clinical and Health Psychology, highlighted how talks with renowned international researchers broadened her network and helped her develop new perspectives.
Lúcia Tavares, a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology and Counselling, described presenting her research project to colleagues from Montclair State University as an enriching experience that brought fresh feedback from specialists in different fields and cultures, leading her to reformulate parts of her work she had never questioned before.
15 December 2020, 5–7 PM — Dr. Samantha Coyle (Montclair State University) gave a session on comprehensive psychological assessment within schools, aimed at UPT undergraduate and master's students in Psychology.
- Cross-cultural exploration of digital stress in emerging adulthood — osf.io/2duaj
- Adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic in young adults: cross-cultural analysis of subjective experiences and protective factors — osf.io/65z3h
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social anxiety during adolescence and youth — osf.io
In 2018, UPT's Conservation and Restoration Clinic was asked by the Biodiversity Gallery — Ciência Viva Centre / Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto to restore didactic material (replicas of fish, birds, and toy soldiers) on permanent display. Damaged pieces, including a goldfish, a lungfish, and a waterbird made from foam and epoxy, needed structural stabilisation, gap-filling, and reattachment of fractured elements, all photographically documented and carried out on-site.
The restoration work was carried out by Yetong Zhang, an Erasmus+ ICM student from Jinggangshan University (China), during an internship at the Clinic and Museum while studying at UPT between September 2018 and February 2019. A second internship, between September 2019 and February 2020, involved students Yongan Xue, Xiaoxue Chen, and Yi Ding, who worked on reconstructing missing elements and structural reinforcement using liquid plaster and gauze. Their supervisor, Dr. Nuno Farinhote, described the experience as highly positive, highlighting the students' fast learning curve, critical thinking, and strong teamwork, noting that linguistic and cultural differences became a source of enrichment rather than an obstacle.
Beatriz Soares described her time in the United States as full of incredible moments and personal growth, saying the experience — despite its ups and downs — opened excellent opportunities for her future.
Bruno Teixeira, studying at SUNY Potsdam through the Erasmus+ programme, praised the university's facilities, dormitories, dining options, and welcoming community, calling it an unforgettable chapter of his life.
Pedro Pinho, a Hotel Management student, found SUNY Potsdam's teaching methods and academic demands different from Portugal but described a warm welcome from professors and peers, strongly recommending the experience to others.
Cara Aguirre, a 35-year-old student from California studying in New York, chose UPT for an international study experience in Tourism and Culture and interned at Quinta do Noval, where she developed a dream of one day owning a vineyard. She first visited UPT in 2019 to present at the international conference "Climate Change and Wine Tourism," and the hospitality she experienced motivated her to apply for an Erasmus mobility period. She described Portuguese education as more practice-oriented compared to the research- and debate-focused approach in the US, and named Porto's churches, the Vila Nova de Gaia riverside, the Dragão Stadium, and the Aliados as her favourite spots in the city.
The founding UPT ICM project (2017–2019) established flows of incoming and outgoing staff and students with two partners: Jinggangshan University (China) and Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto — UFOP (Brazil). It set the model still used today: priority given to incoming student mobility with credit recognition, an annual staff meeting hosting partner institutions, and outgoing staff visits used to consolidate best practices at partner HEIs.
- Selection: enrolled in Tourism, 2nd year of a 2nd-cycle programme or final year of a 1st cycle, proficient in Portuguese or B1-level English; academic record, motivation letter, and gender balance considered
- Before: Erasmus+ Student Charter, learning agreement, acceptance letter, participant grant agreement, visa/insurance and housing support
- During: mobility periods of 7 or 10 months; final public defence at UPT for Master's students
- After: transcript of records, certificate of attendance, EU Survey, monitoring questionnaire
- Selection: teaching/research in Tourism or Museology, B2-level English or Portuguese proficiency
- Before: teaching/training agreement, acceptance letter, grant contract, visa/insurance and housing support
- During: annual UPT ICM Meeting combined with the Erasmus+ International Staff Week, including seminars (minimum 8 teaching hours), governance and student meetings, and workshops on the European HE system
- After: EU Survey and monitoring questionnaire
The 2017–2019 project closed on 31 July 2019, with a final report submitted at the end of September. External experts from the Erasmus+ National Agency noted that despite involving only three institutions, the project's impact was demonstrated at regional, national, and international level, through conferences, research projects, and a new Master's programme; the final report was approved with a score of 84/100.
The first ICM UPT Meeting took place 19–23 February 2018, hosting Prof. Yang Qinglin from Jinggangshan University among other participants. Incoming Erasmus students from Jinggangshan (Republic of China) — specialising in museology — collaborated on a joint project on museums and identity between March and August 2018, cleaning and preparing pieces stored at the São João Novo Church in Porto for a temporary exhibition on the Stations of the Passion of Christ, under supervision of UPT's Conservation and Restoration Clinic.
Documents: Ongoing Project Summary — June 2019 · 1st ICM UPT Meeting Flyer
UPT staff Isabel Vaz de Freitas and Helena Albuquerque, from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, visited UFOP (Minas Gerais) between 27 April and 12 May 2019, leading talks and workshops for undergraduate students and establishing new partnerships with the University of São Luís do Maranhão, the Federal University of Maranhão, and the Federal Institute of Maranhão.
Rodrigo Meira Martoni, a UFOP lecturer, gave an open class at UPT on the epistemology of tourism and presented his book "Turismo & Capital" during an incoming staff mobility period. UFOP and UPT jointly presented three papers at the III International Conference on Tourism & History (Faro, 28–29 March 2019), a partnership that had by then enabled three students and one lecturer to complete international mobility.
In May 2018, UPT hosted a seminar on "Climate Change and Wine Tourism," bringing 16 American students and 4 staff from SUNY Potsdam to Porto — this visit helped shape the partnership that was later formalised through the II UPT ICM project (2018–2020) and continues today through the current ICM programme. The seminar combined visits to Porto's historic centre and wineries, invited talks from researchers across Europe, project presentations by ICM students from Brazil, China, and Poland, and field visits to Aveiro, Guimarães, and Amarante.
Student testimonials from this period include Paula Maia (UFOP), who described her internship in wine tourism at Quinta do Noval alongside volunteer work and conference participation as a highlight of her academic journey, and Meng Ren (Jinggangshan University), who called it his first experience studying and interning overseas.
Documents: Incoming Student Selection Process (UFOP, Brazil)
