Over 50 projects aimed at improving the world, nearly 2,000 students from Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, participating, and a total of 36,000 euros in prizes awarded – this is the impressive track record of the E.Awards competition, now in its eighth edition. The closing event took place on 24 June at the Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade.

Rogério Colaço, the president of Técnico, highlighted the figures, stating that “Técnico is not just a place to learn; it’s an experience for students, and the E.Awards are now an integral part of that”. He described the competition as a “direct response to market challenges” and expressed gratitude to the partner companies, including Armilar, the Santander Foundation, and Accenture Portugal, which fund the prizes awarded.

The “Best Project” award, delivered by Santander and worth 5,000 euros, went to STEP, developed by Margarida Silva (Master’s Programme in Engineering and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship), Liliana Xiao (Undergraduate Programme in Biomedical Engineering) and Pedro Rodrigues (Undergraduate Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management). The project focuses on Freezing of Gait (FoG), a debilitating symptom commonly experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease, manifesting as a lack of coordination between the brain and the muscles’ response while walking. STEP (Stimulation Technology to End Paralysis) is a wristband designed to detect FoG by applying controlled vibrations to the affected limb. Four other groups received prizes and honourable mentions awarded by Armilar and Accenture.

The E.Awards aim to recognise the best projects developed by groups of students as part of Curricular Units related to entrepreneurship. In this edition, the projects on display showcased a variety of concepts, including a soil monitoring system for potted plants, a device for monitoring waste collection bins in real time, and an artificial intelligence algorithm that predicts the distribution and movement of crowds at festival venues based on the layout of the space, even before the events take place.

“Today is a day of celebration – the E.Awards demonstrate that innovation is part of ‘Técnico’s DNA’ and that we have the capacity to change the world through science and technology”, said Pedro Amaral, Vice-President of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in anticipation of the projects that were to be announced by the students a few minutes later. Keeping a close eye on their performances, a panel of judges (from Técnico, the Santander Foundation, Accenture, Armilar and Unicorn Factory) would determine which teams would receive awards in the “Best Project” and “Best Poster” categories, and two honourable mentions.

Maria Naudin, a third-year Materials Engineering undergraduate student and one of the authors of the projects, highlights how entrepreneurship curricular units and the E.Awards have challenged her to improve her skills. Events like these “help you practise communication and pitching skills” and allow projects that start in the classroom to get off the ground – “now that classes are finishing, perhaps the project can take on a new lease of life”, she shares.

Nuno Lourenço, an Electrical and Computer Engineering master’s student and a member of the national climbing team, described his “fanaticism” for the sport (in his own words) as his motivation for developing the project that ultimately earned his group an honourable mention in the competition. The fact that they were chosen to take their idea through to the final “really helped [them] to validate it”. As for balancing his studies with his sporting commitments, he admits that “it’s difficult”, but “you can always find the time”.

Winners of the “Best Project” award (Santander, 5,000 euros)

STEP – Freezing of Gait (FoG) is a debilitating symptom commonly experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease, manifesting as a lack of coordination between the brain and the muscles’ response while walking. STEP is a wristband designed to detect FoG by applying controlled vibrations to the affected limb.

• Margarida Silva – Master’s Programme in Engineering and Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Liliana Xiao – Undergraduate Programme in Biomedical Engineering
• Pedro Rodrigues – Undergraduate Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management

Winners of the “Best Poster” award (Accenture, 500 euros each)

SisTAD – A platform that centralises firefighting operations in a single view, bringing together information such as tactical maps, the geolocation of response team members and real-time distress calls, among other data, so that commanders can efficiently manage operations on the ground, seeking to mitigate the negative impacts of communications system failures in such scenarios.

• João Tiago – Master’s Programme in Civil Engineering
• Érica Miranda – Master’s Programme in Civil Engineering
• Hugo Ferreira – Master’s Programme in Civil Engineering
• Cristiano Moreira – Master’s Programme in Civil Engineering

TrashTalk – Devices that enable local authorities to monitor the capacity of waste bins in real time, so as to identify where collection teams need to intervene.

• Sofia António – Undergraduate Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management
• Jokubas Jasinskas – Undergraduate Programme in Chemical Engineering
• João Taka – Undergraduate Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management

Honourable Mention (Armilar Ventures Partners, 1,000 euros)

OPTICLIMB – A smart sleeve equipped with sensors to monitor and quantify climbers’ performance, helping to assess fatigue levels, optimise training and recovery, and minimise injury risks.

• Diogo Costa – Master’s Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Hugo Varandas – Master’s Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Pasang Lama – Master’s Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Nuno Lourenço – Master’s Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Shahnewaj Shakil – Master’s Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Tomas Teixeira – Master’s Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Honourable Mention (Accenture Portugal, €1,000)

Velora – A disposable pad for postpartum haemorrhage, designed to address some of the complaints raised against the clinical pads currently in use (such as skin irritation and discomfort).

• Joana Vital – Undergraduate Programme in Materials Engineering
• Luz Cugnart – Undergraduate Programme in Materials Engineering
• Larissa Lopes – Undergraduate Programme in Materials Engineering
• Maria Naudin – Undergraduate Programme in Materials Engineering
• Ruth Paxe – Undergraduate Programme in Materials Engineering