Universidade Portucalense – Infante D. Henrique
Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique is a cooperative higher education and scientific research establishment
From 10 to 14 November, Universidade Portucalense is holding its 1st Tourism and Hospitality Week, themed “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”. Over five days, students, faculty, and national and international guests will share their perspectives, experiences, and projects in the tourism sector.
On 4 November, between 2pm and 7pm, Universidade Portucalense invites the entire academic community to rooms 205 and 206 to take part in the blood donation campaign.
Teamwork Workshops Knowing how to work in a team is an essential skill for academic success. For this reason, two workshops were held on this topic for first-year undergraduate students on 27 March and 10 April, under the guidance of trainer Jardel Araújo. In total, more than 80 students participated in the Teamwork Workshops and had the opportunity to learn new ways of organising, collaborating and communicating in a teamwork context, with the aim of finding solutions to future challenges. This initiative took place within the scope of the “+Sucesso@UPortucalense” Project, funded by the Directorate-General for Higher Education and the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Public Presentation of Applications for the Educational Innovation Award – Universidade Portucalense On 16 July, starting at 3 p.m., the Public Presentation of Applications for the Pedagogical Innovation Award will take place in Auditorium 201 at Universidade Portucalense. This session is part of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), under Axis 2 ‘Teacher Training in Pedagogical Innovation’ promoted by the Office of Pedagogical Innovation. This is the 1st edition of the Pedagogical Innovation Award, a unique initiative that aims to recognise innovative pedagogical practices that have an impact on improving the quality of teaching and promoting academic success. The award recognises the implementation of strategies that contribute to better results in the teaching and learning processes of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of studies at Universidade Portucalense. The inaugural edition has received eight applications, submitted individually or as a team, reflecting the strong commitment and involvement of the teaching community. The teaching practices in the competition were developed within the scope of one or more curricular units, with the mandatory requirement of adopting a continuous assessment system, as established in the respective curricular unit files. During the session, each application will be publicly presented, in a 10-minute format per project, before a jury composed of eight members, both internal and external to the University. The event will be attended by the Rector, Professor Fernando Ramos, the Vice-Rector for Teaching, Professor Elizabeth Real, and Professor Sandra Fernandes, Coordinator of the Pedagogical Innovation Office and Axis 2 of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project. The session will culminate in a moment of appreciation and overall commentary by the jury, closing a meeting dedicated to the enhancement of teaching and the sharing of innovative pedagogical practices.The session is open to the entire academic community, so all teachers and other interested parties are invited to attend and be inspired by the initiatives that are transforming teaching at Universidade Portucalense. Program 16 July Auditorium 201 | Portucalense University | Porto
The 2025/2026 academic year kicked off with a welcome programme designed to integrate first-year undergraduate and integrated master’s students, promoting active, confident and collaborative participation in academic life. On 8 and 10 September, the campus hosted several initiatives, including the Welcome Session in the Aula Magna, the Presentation of Academic Departments, the Welcome Party, the distribution of the Freshers’ Kit, the 2025 family photo, and the launch of the It’s UPTo You 2025-2026 project with the dynamic ‘Freshman Mission: Challenge Yourself and Connect!’. The programme ended with the Institutional Welcome Session, which officially marked the opening of the new academic year. For Goreti Sousa, coordinator of Axis 1 of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project, these initiatives are strategic: “The goal is to help students adapt to the university environment, ensuring academic, emotional, and social support. The aim is to reduce the dropout rate and create an environment of belonging, where students feel welcomed and motivated to overcome the challenges of this new cycle.”
Applications for the 2nd edition of the It’s UPTo You project are now open and will run until 15 October. Organised into teams of two to five members, students are invited to submit a video of up to 90 seconds in length, in which they share an original idea, practice or initiative relevant to Universidade Portucalense.
Do you want to leave your mark on Universidade Portucalense? Are you in your first year of a Bachelor’s or Integrated Master’s degree? Then this challenge is for you: create an original video for the ‘It’s UPTo You’ Project. This is your opportunity to enjoy a different, inclusive and innovative experience, while sharing ideas and initiatives for the future of our University.
Universidade Portucalense, in partnership with the Municipality of Amarante and with the scientific support of CINTESIS.UPT@RISE-Health, is organising the 1st International Congress on Community Intervention and Social Transformation. The event is part of the 11th edition of the “Amarante de Igual para Igual” campaign. The event will take place from 5 to 7 November 2025 at the Cineteatro de Amarante. It is intended as a space for meeting, sharing, and innovating, focusing on the emerging challenges in social and community intervention and the development of collaborative strategies for social transformation. 5 November features the pre-congress workshops and the innovative “World Café” activity. This session will bring together professionals from different regions of the country to co-construct ideas and practical solutions applicable to community contexts. The Congress’s themed sessions, round tables, and plenary conferences will be held on 6 and 7 November, led by keynote speakers of national and international renown. Reflections will focus on intervention with families, the promotion of equality, and the cross-cutting nature of community practices in the face of contemporary social challenges. See the event’s page.
On 10 September, at the Institutional Welcome Session, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Armando Jorge de Carvalho, highlighted the sustained growth of the University, which once again recorded an increase in the number of students, despite the 12% reduction in the total number of applicants to Higher Education at national level. For Armando Jorge de Carvalho, this result reflects “the market’s recognition of the work carried out by the academic community, which contributes to strengthening the institution’s prestige.” He also recalled recent achievements, such as the award of the “green lane” regime by A3ES in the process of accrediting study cycles and the “Very Good” evaluation achieved by the University’s four Research Units in the FCT evaluation. Addressing the new students, he emphasised that the road ahead is demanding but also full of opportunities: “It will certainly require a great deal of effort on your part, great resilience, dedication, hard work, and discipline. It’s not always easy to overcome difficulties but every obstacle you overcome will make you stronger, more confident, and better prepared. Such effort will pay off with new knowledge, experiences, and friendships.” He asserted the institution’s commitment to train responsible citizens and competent professionals: “We want you to be active agents in the improvement global society by exercising full and responsible citizenship, becoming committed citizens and exemplary professionals.” He ended with a message of accountability: “The world is currently experiencing times of extreme complexity and instability, with conflicts and crises affecting all sectors of society. These challenges are also reflected in the daily lives of families, on a social, economic, and emotional level. It is in this context that we challenge you to build a solid future, based on knowledge, values, and civic intervention.” In his speech, Rector Fernando Ramos emphasised the institution’s path of affirmation since its foundation in 1986 and the consolidation of its training offer in various areas of knowledge. He recalled the more traditional courses, such as Law, Management, Economics, and Tourism, but also the more recent and expanding areas, such as Architecture, Multimedia, International Relations, and Engineering. He also mentioned the creation of Portucalense Business School in 2023 as an example of the reinforcement of the commitment to advanced and executive training. Fernando Ramos pointed to two of the university’s strategic pillars: the promotion of scientific research and pedagogical innovation, which involves the adoption of active learning methodologies and the incorporation of the latest digital technologies, including generative artificial intelligence. “Our aim is clear: to ensure that our students’ education is on a par with the best in Portugal and the world, preparing them for an increasingly complex future that requires solid foundations, both scientifically and in terms of human and behavioural aspects,” he concluded. The Institutional Welcome Session also included the presentation of the Quality and Merit Promotion Scholarships, as well as the “Brandzone – Media Experts” and “Giacomini Portugal” awards. The programme ended with performances by Tuna Feminina and Tuna Académica, which reinforced the atmosphere of integration and celebration.
On 10 September, during the Institutional Welcome Session, Universidade Portucalense awarded the 1st edition of the Pedagogical Innovation Award. The award was presented by the Rector, Fernando Ramos. First place went to the project “Innovation in Tourist Destinations – Interdisciplinary Project of the Tourism Degree,” by lecturers Marília Durão, Joana Quintela, and Medéia Veríssimo, from the Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture. The initiative challenged students to develop innovative and sustainable proposals for tourist destinations, working with local organisations and using Project-Based Learning methodologies and lean frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban. Second place was awarded to the pedagogical practice “Escape Room: Unravelling the Enigmatic Paths of Data Analysis”, presented by Pedro Rodrigues, from the Department of Psychology and Education, who applied game-based learning methodologies to make the teaching of statistics more engaging through immersive challenges that require logical reasoning, problem-solving, and team co-operation. Two honourable mentions were also awarded – Bruno Cunha, from the Department of Science and Technology, with “Smart Tests for Smarter Learning”, and Joaquim Flores, Isabel C. Neves, and Luís P. Pacheco, from the Department of Architecture and Multimedia Gallaecia, with “From Analogue to Digital (Architecture + PBL)” – in recognition of the potential of the applications submitted. The Pedagogical Innovation Award is organised by the Pedagogical Innovation Office as part of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense project and aims to highlight innovative teaching practices that have an impact on academic success and the quality of learning.
