Bringing academia and the business world closer together was at the heart of the launch of the wTVision Entrepreneurship Award. This initiative is part of the Technology-Based Entrepreneurship Curricular Unit within the Master’s Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management.  The launch event took place on 18 September at Oeiras Campus and included representatives from wTVision, who presented students with the challenge that will serve as the basis for the group projects they will undertake throughout the semester.

Students will work on a new business line being developed by wTVision, analysing potential markets for the new product and contributing to the definition of internationalisation and market-entry strategies. At the end of the semester, the best projects will be recognised with the award that has just been announced.

For Diogo Gonçalves, senior lecturer of the Curricular Unit, the collaboration with the business community makes it possible to align the course’s educational objectives with a real-world innovation challenge. “This is the first time that students will work exclusively with one company, allowing them to work directly on its innovation and entrepreneurship challenges”, he shared.

He adds that the choice of wTVision is related to the company’s “strong technological and international profile, as well as its work in the field of data analysis applied to sporting events”.

On the company’s side, Paulo Ferreira, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of wTVision, emphasised the value of the partnership with Técnico as a platform for engaging with new perspectives. “It’s about bringing interesting challenges to the students, drawing on their creativity, knowledge, and talent, and also helping to bridge the gap between the business world and the academic world”, he said.

The diversity of the class is considered an asset for project development, as it allows for different approaches to markets and the solutions to be presented.

“It could be a very fruitful connection, and we are all really looking forward to seeing what comes out of it”, concluded Diogo Gonçalves, reflecting the expectations shared by the different stakeholders involved in this first edition of the award.