On 6 November, the Oeiras Campus celebrated its 24th anniversary bringing together dozens of guests including former students, professors, researchers, partners and employees. The celebrations included the campus’s first Alumni Meeting, a moment to share experiences in a relaxed networking environment.

The celebration began with a welcome cocktail, where Sofia Cabeleira, coordinator of the Técnico Alumni Network, welcomed the guests. The Vice-President of Técnico for the Management of the Oeiras Campus, Joana Mendonça, hosted the first presentation titled “The Oeiras Campus at the center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, highlighting the importance of the campus as a driver of new ideas and technologies. “To the sound of these stars, let’s look into the future and think about what we envision for our campus,” commented Joana Mendonça, encouraging the audience to reflect on the impact of the innovation promoted at the campus. Professor Pedro Amaral, Vice-President of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, highlighted the campus’ influence on entrepreneurship and the training of professionals who are a benchmark in the market.

The programme began with a debate on “The role of Técnico as a promoter of new ideas” moderated by the Técnico professor José Epifânio da Franca. Among the participants were Rui Jorge Santos, alumnus and Co-Founder of BEYOND FUEL, Diogo Santos, Partner at Iberis and Maria Vilar, alumna and Founder of Immersiv Studios, who shared her experience: “It’s not just the capacity for resilience and work that we learn at Técnico, but the confidence that we are capable of making things happen. That engineer’s mentality of discovering, seeking and achieving results drives us forward”. The participants emphasized the impact of Técnico in building professionals prepared for complex and competitive challenges.

At the end of the evening, the guests gathered to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the Oeiras Campus, with the cutting of the cake and a toast, attended by the President of Técnico, Rogério Colaço, who highlighted the history of the Campus. “It’s been 24 years of a great adventure. Many students who have left here are now working in innovation and have founded companies like Talkdesk, one of our unicorns. This year we launched the first satellite entirely designed and built by students in Portugal. We’re proud to be here celebrating.” The alumnus Manuel Severiano also highlighted the importance of his experiences at Técnico: “The memory I have of this space is a memory of opportunities. One of the most important things was the sense of community.”