Campus and Community

Junior Enterprise at Técnico has been recognised as Europe’s most sustainable junior enterprise

March 25th

JUNITEC, the Junior Enterprise at Instituto Superior Técnico, has once again been recognised among companies from 16 countries with a European award, for the fourth consecutive year.

The Junior Enterprise at Instituto Superior Técnico (JUNITEC) was recognised once again by the Junior Enterprises Europe (JE Europe), as the “Most Sustainable Junior Enterprise”, as part of the European Excellence Awards. This recognition is due to the development of innovative projects, such as Apollo, the startup acceleration programme, and TecStorm, the largest university hackathon in Portugal.

“Receiving the ‘Most Sustainable Junior Enterprise in Europe’ award represents recognition of JUNITEC’s ongoing efforts and reinforces Técnico’s position as a leading institution in the development of solutions with a positive impact on society”, says Margarida Loureiro, president of JUNITEC.

According to Margarida Loureiro, this award is a validation of JUNITEC’s mission to “combine technological innovation with social and environmental responsibility”, and the result of developing “high-impact projects, carried out in partnership with various organisations, whose central pillar is innovation”. Among the highlighted projects are the application of Artificial Intelligence to help preserve the Iberian hare and the development of a resource management solution for an organisation that supports families.

Competing against around 380 Junior Enterprises from 16 countries, this is the fourth consecutive time that JUNITEC has come out on top. In 2025, they won the “Junior Enterprise of the Year” award in Europe (which they had already received in 2023), having generated a turnover of over 200,000 euros in 2024. In the same year, they also won in the “Most Impactful Project of the Year” category.

Margarida Loureiro emphasises that success also stems from “the internal culture, the close relationship with students and the ability to transform ideas into viable market solutions”. The president of JUNITEC adds that “the spirit of mutual support, the constant desire to learn and the commitment to excellence” are the pillars that guide and define the organisation.

Besides TecStorm’26, the largest university hackathon for innovation and technology taking place in Portugal from 27 to 29 March, JUNITEC is developing new social responsibility projects aimed at “making a positive impact on ecosystem protection and improving public health in the coming years”.