For the eighth consecutive year, the Celfocus Merit Award has recognised the best projects developed within the Software Engineering curricular unit at Instituto Superior Técnico, offering an award of €2,500. In the 2024/2025 edition, the award was given to Leonor Figueira and Raquel Rodrigues, master’s students in Computer Science and Engineering, for the ‘HumanaEthica’ platform, dedicated to managing and promoting volunteering. During one semester, the students worked within a SCRUM context (project management methodology), focusing on the continuous delivery of value to the customer. Their project aims to enhance the connection between volunteers and institutions, streamline communication processes and encourage greater civic participation. The students thanked the company for “recognising the developed work” and for motivating them to continue their studies.
The award ceremony, which took place on 17 June in the Meeting Room of the Computer Science Building at Alameda campus, brought together Celfocus representatives, Técnico professors and the jury members António Rito Silva and João Ferreira, professors Software Engineering curricular unit, and André Santos from Celfocus.
Sofia Esteves, executive director of Celfocus, congratulated the students and highlighted the importance of a solution architect profile in the business context, which is part of the curricular unit. The Técnico alumna also praised the participants’ “desire to do better and differently” demonstrated during their presentations, reinforcing that Celfocus, a 100% Portuguese company with international operations in Telecommunications, Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence, aims to “attract and nurture the talent that started at Técnico”.
Representing the Técnico governing board was Francisco Melo, the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, who thanked Celfocus for its ongoing support, describing the award as a “celebration of the talent, effort and curiosity of the students”, which contribute to the School’s reputation for excellence.
Additionally, a €1,670 support was awarded to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI) to enhance the quality of teaching in the curricular unit. Daniel Gonçalves, the Vice-Head of DEI for Education, highlighted the curiosity and ambition shown by the students throughout the project, noting that this “could help position Técnico more prominently in the country’s technological landscape”.
João Ferreira, senior lecturer of the curricular unit, thanked the company for its support and praised the level of excellence of the projects, also describing the awarded students as “the best of the best”.
The ceremony ended with the presentation of participation diplomas to all final-year students: Raquel Rodrigues, Leonor Figueira, Rafael Ferreira, Eduardo Cardoso, Francisco Carreiro and Rodrigo Ferreira.
