| As part of the activities of the BIN@ network, a delegation from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), led by its Dean, Prof. Rui Calçada, visited Belgium, Ghent and Brussels, on June 5 and 6.
On the first day, the FEUP delegation held working meetings at the Ghent University. At the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, details were finalised to better implement the double degree agreement between these two faculties (on FEUP’s side, this agreement falls under the Master’s in Service Engineering and Management). In addition, opportunities for collaboration in projects and activities related to innovation and entrepreneurship were discussed. At the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (Department of Civil Engineering), future synergies were discussed in areas such as Coastal and Offshore Energy Engineering, Structures, Railways, and Materials. The visit to Ghent concluded with a meeting at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, where collaboration opportunities were explored in the fields of biofilms, nanoencapsulation, and drug delivery. On the second day, the FEUP delegation, accompanied by representatives from three European Universities Alliances (EUGLOH, ARTEMIS and ENLIGHT), was received at REPER – the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union. The delegation was welcomed by Dr. Carla Matias dos Santos, Counselor for Research and Space, and Dr. Janina Costa, Counselor for Education, Youth and Sport. EUGLOH was represented by U.Porto (Vice-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Prof. Joana Resende, remote participation, and Lisa Dequech in-person attendance). ARTEMIS was represented by Tarmo Sildeberg, Vice-Rector for Development at TTK University of Applied Sciences (Tallinn, Estonia) and ENLIGHT by Ignace Lemahieu, Director of Research at Ghent University (Belgium).
In the morning, the agenda included presentations by representatives from various Directorates-General/Executive Agencies of the European Commission, and topics such as the future of Knowledge Innovation Communities and funding opportunities under Horizon Europe—particularly the Widening programme and European Research Council grants—were discussed. Some proposals and challenges regarding the implementation of the EU’s 10th Framework Programme were also addressed. In the afternoon, there was a panel session discussing how the European Universities Alliances can act as active agents and drivers of innovation.
In addition to the Dean of FEUP, the delegation included the following members: Prof. Gil Gonçalves (Pro-Dean for Internationalisation), Prof. Maria de Lurdes Lopes and Prof. Paulo Rosa Santos (Department of Civil and Georesources Engineering), Prof. Nuno Azevedo (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering), Pedro Coelho (Coordinator of the INOV Unit) and Bret Demant (INOV Unit). |
The FEUP’s delegation also had the opportunity to participate in the FEUP Alumni Meeting in Brussels, which took place on June 5 at the Puro Restaurant.