The first MNPinho scholarship was awarded on 26 November 2025, in the Civil Engineering Museum, Técnico – Alameda Campus, by retired professor Maria Norberta Pinho. Clara Alves, a first-year master’s student in Chemical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, was the scholarship recipient.
Francisco Melo, Vice-President of Técnico for Academic Affairs, chaired the ceremony and recalled that “this support allows students to concentrate on their studies without the pressure of financial insecurity”. He also expressed his hope that this scholarship “could be the beginning of a trend and become common practice” among the School’s professors.
Clara Alves thanked the patron for “the opportunity”, promising that she will “dedicate herself” to her studies. “She has become a role model for me”, not only for her career, but also for her “interest in music and the arts of the world”, said the student, referring to professor Maria Norberta Pinho.
“I thought this was an anonymous process”, shared Maria Norberta Pinho. She described her contribution as “infinitesimal” and expressed her hope that the scholarship recipient would “understand the potential that chemical engineering can offer her”. “The greatest legacy that Técnico gave me was the students”, she concluded.
The head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Henrique Matos, pointed out that “students shouldn’t be kept out of higher education because of financial needs” and thanked the patron for her “generosity”, whose “age doesn’t matter here”.
Also present at the event were Teresa Duarte, President of the School Assembly, Joana Neiva Correia, coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Chemical Engineering, and Moisés Pinto, Vice-Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering for Academic Affairs.
The MNPinho Scholarship is one of over 20 scholarships to support undergraduate and master’s students at Técnico.
