This is the 3rd edition of Técnico Seminar Series and the last organised by the current School Assembly team, whose mandate expires at the end of the year. During the event, on 9 and 10 September, various panels and their respective audiences reflected on how the school works and how it can be improved.

The programme aimed to address questions such as ‘is there life beyond Técnico?’, ‘how to improve the organisational efficiency at Técnico?’ and ‘how to build a rewarding career at Técnico?’ through eight panels consisting of students, professors, researchers and staff. During each session, the discussion involved the audience, leading to an exchange of ideas that would be included in the rapporteurs’ notes.

‘This Seminar Series are a very important moment for the School. It’s a time when we discuss the current state of the School, its aspirations, how it plans to achieve them and areas of improvement, in an open forum’, said Rogério Colaço at the opening session on the morning of 9 September. The president of Técnico also thanked the School Assembly and the organising team for putting the event together, ‘I am absolutely sure and convinced that these Seminar Series will be a crucial platform for debating and discussion important questions for the future of Técnico’.

The key points from each panel discussion are gathered into a document and sent to the Management Board and other school governing bodies. This information is then used to shape the activities for the following year. Therefore, the event’s main impact is providing a list of actions that can be incorporated into the next year’s activity plan.

Ana Teresa Freitas, a professor at Técnico and president of the School Assembly, explains the process: ‘in every edition, we compile a booklet that is given to the Management Board and is also available online, on the School Assembly website. It describes the topics discussed in the panel and includes a set of specific and important activities to be considered for the next year’s plan.’

An initiative for the entire school

Initially referred to as the ‘School Assembly Seminar Series,’ the event was more focused on organisational issues, staff careers, and the concerns of Técnico’s staff, shares Ana Teresa Freitas.

The initial idea emerged after COVID lockdown, aiming to ‘create a broader platform than the traditional School Assembly’, to address ‘crucial school issues’. It evolved into a forum for discussing the school’s strategic plan before it was approved.

The event resulted in ‘concrete activities’ that could ‘be integrated into the following year’s activity plan’. It allowed ‘the entire school community to contribute’ to the plan. ‘In the first edition, 17 per cent of proposed activities were integrated into the plan; in the second edition, it was 30 per cent. This shows that the Seminar Series is able to influence the activities that Técnico will develop the following year.

The target audience is the school community. This is why the name was changed from ‘School Assembly Seminar Series’ to ‘Técnico Seminar Series’. Throughout these three editions, the event format has evolved to better facilitate discussions among students, researchers, staff and professors.

‘We need students who are aware of what’s happening at the school and who realise that this is part of their lives,’ says Ana Teresa Freitas, recognising that there is a difference in perspective between those who will spend five years at Técnico and the staff and professors who may stay for many more years.

Rafael Santos can serve as an example. He completed secondary school in Luanda, Angola, and has just started his Undergraduate Programme in Engineering in Mining and Energy Resources at Técnico. He made a point of attending the event because he wants ‘to fit in and feel welcome at Técnico’. He decided to ‘share an opinion’ because ‘students must be part of what will make our institution grow’. ‘[As students,] we should have the spirit of wanting to talk and share, not just gather knowledge for our own benefit; that’s why it’s very good to have this kind of initiative,’ he says.

After the student speech, Rogério Colaço asked to say a few words and recalled that he had joined Técnico 38 years ago. The president of Técnico shared that this was the first time he had seen a first-year student – who had just got into Técnico and, above all, had come from another country – participating in an event like this. ‘I’d like to express my appreciation for Rafael’s words; I’ve carefully noted what you said and I hope that Técnico will become your home forever, as well as for all your colleagues entering Técnico this year.’