The protocol was signed on the afternoon of March 22 – from then on, Brisa became the 26th member of Técnico Partner Network, joining the consortium as a ‘GOLD member’. The ceremony was attended by representatives of both organisations and took place in the Civil Museum, at Técnico – Alameda Campus.
The partnership foresees collaboration in two areas. In the field of ‘proximity activities and talent development’, Brisa will be involved in the creation of a merit award (whose area will be defined at the start of the partnership), in an activity to approach talent and also in the Técnico careers weeks organised by the Students’ Organisations (MecanIST and Civil Engineering Seminar Series) and by the Técnico Students’ Union (JobShop).
On the other hand, in the field of ‘accelerating innovation’, the partnership will involve the organisation of a Research-Industry initiative, the launch of an annual edition of the TecInnov innovative ideas competition, the development of research and development (R&D) projects and the creation of scholarships for master’s and doctoral students.
The CEO of Brisa, António Pires de Lima, highlighted that Técnico had already ‘given’ four presidents to the company and added: “This protocol is very important for Brisa, firstly because it owes a lot to Técnico”. The 50-year-old business group “has made good use of the talent produced at Técnico as a benchmark institution in Portuguese engineering”, since it has hired “thousands of Técnico graduates” who, in his opinion, “have made a decisive contribution” to the company’s activities.
According to Pedro Amaral, the vice-president of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, this was a “symbolic moment for Técnico, which marks another strategic partnership with the Portuguese business community”. “We are very proud of this partnership. I was pleased to realise Técnico and Brisa have the same strategic alignment”, he added.
The initiative is already bearing fruit – on April 18, the Taguspark campus will host the “Técnico-Brisa” workshop which, according to Pedro Amaral, marks “a new phase in research and entrepreneurship”. The event will focus on areas such as mobility, technology, infrastructures and their rehabilitation, artificial intelligence and energy, and aims to analyse Brisa’s current challenges and the school’s reaction to them, presenting new market solutions.
