“669,335 kg of steel used in a concrete structure, 3,390 square metres of construction area, 9,450 rivets have been used” – these are some of the data included in the timelapse video shown during the public presentation of the “Técnico Innovation Center – Powered by Fidelidade” on 18 October. The event took place in the new building, located in the former Gare do Arco do Cego, in Lisbon, and was attended by the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Lisbon, the Rector of Universidade de Lisboa, as well as various members of the government and representatives of the funding bodies (CCDR and Fidelidade Insurance Company), and hundreds of guests from the academic and business community.
Rogério Colaço, president of Técnico, opened the ceremony. “After more than 500,000 working hours, the Técnico Innovation Center is a dream come true” – a dream that began 13 years ago with the signing of a protocol between Técnico and Lisbon City Council. The president of Técnico added “in addition to a fire station that Técnico offers the city of Lisbon, this building will be a showcase of projects developed by Técnico students, professors and researchers, which involve talent, innovation, entrepreneurship and value creation”.
The building, which has more than four thousand square metres, houses the largest 24-hour study room in the country with the capacity to accommodate more than 550 students from Universidade de Lisboa, collaborative workspaces, an exhibition area and a multipurpose event space that accommodates more than three hundred people. It is also planned a restaurant area. The project represents an investment of 12 million euros and has received funding from Fidelidade Insurance Company and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under the Lisbon Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa 2020). The building project, headed by professor João Gomes Ferreira, was entirely developed at Técnico by teams led by architects and professors Teresa Heitor and António Barreiros Ferreira, and professors Francisco Virtuoso and Augusto Gomes.
Prime Minister António Costa highlighted the school’s important role in innovation – “Técnico is on 21 of 53 Mobilising Agendas for Business Innovation. These 21 agendas propose creating 10,000 new jobs, 63% of which are highly qualified jobs. The Head of Government also highlighted “the enormous potential of the Técnico Innovation Center” referring to the projects developed by Técnico students shown to his entourage at the start of the ceremony – prototypes developed by Formula Student Técnico (FST Lisboa) and Mobile Energy Sustainability Project (PSEM), the solar boat developed by Técnico Solar Boat (TSB), the motorbikes designed and built by Técnico Lisboa Moto (TLMoto), the aircrafts developed by the Aerospace Engineering Student Organisation (AeroTéc), the hydrogen fuel cell developed by Técnico Fuel Cell (TFC), the Balua project, a controllable high altitude balloon, and the ISTSAT-1, the first Portuguese CubeSat.
“Today is a very important day for our academic community and for the city,” says Luís Ferreira, Rector of Universidade de Lisboa. “In particular, it’s important for the largest school of Universidade de Lisboa – Instituto Superior Técnico”, he adds. Sofia Moreira, the Head of the European Commission’s Representation in Portugal, highlighted “this space will promote entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer while strengthening collaborative ties”. The Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, recalled his student days at Técnico. “Técnico changed my life; it was the beginning of my life”, and ended his speech saying “long live Técnico, long live Lisbon!”. Later, in an informal conversation with some Técnico staff members, he recalled his graduation in 1993, referring to Mr. Carvalhosa and the ‘tradition of rocket launches after graduation’.
