For the second consecutive year, several Portuguese companies in the mineral and energy resources sector will pay the full tuition fees for first-year students enrolling in the Mining and Energy Resources Engineering undergraduate programme at Instituto Superior Técnico, admitted through the National Call for Public Higher Education. Additionally, at least 25% of the scholarships will be awarded for all three years of the course to those with the highest admission averages in the National Call.
This initiative is part of the Recursos+ programme, a partnership between Instituto Superior Técnico and various companies, aimed at addressing the profound global transformations in which mineral and energy resources play a vital role in the energy transition.
According to Maria João Pereira, Head of the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering at Técnico, these scholarships represent “much more than a support mechanism for higher education. They signify a strong confidence in the future and a strategic vision for the country’s development.” The Técnico professor also highlights ‘the importance of this support in recognising the value of this training area, essential for meeting challenges related to sustainability, technological innovation, and European energy autonomy’.
Throughout the course, students have direct contact with real-world business environments: technical visits to industrial operations, seminars featuring industry professionals, summer internships and real-world applied projects. ‘In the master’s programme, the connection is even stronger, with curricular internships, capstone projects or theses conducted in partnership with companies, which address multidisciplinary and practical challenges in current engineering’, explains Maria João Pereira.
These activities, organised in partnership with companies, allow students to progressively engage with the professional contexts of the sector, facilitating their integration into its dynamics and challenges.
In addition to their curricular training, students benefit from a dynamic and collaborative environment that includes over 40 students’ organisations and extracurricular projects. “This active ecosystem, combined with rigorous technical training, equips students to confidently tackle the challenges in their field with competence, innovation, and a strategic vision”.
Among the most promising areas are the exploitation of critical raw materials for green technologies, geotechnical and foundation engineering, mineral waste recovery, geological storage of CO₂ and hydrogen, deep geothermal energy, and digitalisation in the mineral and energy resources industry. Graduates typically work in industrial and technological companies, research centres, public and international organisations, or start-ups focused on energy transition and sustainability.
“This solid foundational training—comprising skills in earth sciences, engineering technologies, sustainability, and energy systems—provides graduates with a versatile and distinctive technical profile”, concludes Maria João Pereira. With only 20 places available each year, the excellent teaching at Técnico combined with direct industry support, makes the Undergraduate Programme in Mining and Energy Resources Engineering at Técnico “a strategic choice for those looking for an impactful career”. “The Recursos+ scholarships are a starting point for this journey, designed to attract talent and prepare students for the future”, she concluded.
Last year, scholarships were awarded by companies in the sector during the opening of the 19th Santa Bárbara Seminar Series, an event organised by the Mining Engineering students’ organisation at Técnico (NUMIST) in December 2024.
