On 18 March, the Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade hosted the event Entrepreneurship@Técnico Powered by Santander, which brought together students, professors, alumni entrepreneurs and Santander representatives to discuss the future of university entrepreneurship. The event included two discussion panels, an awards ceremony and a networking moment, reinforcing the commitment of Instituto Superior Técnico and Santander to supporting innovation and the talent of Técnico students.
Rogério Colaço, president of Técnico, emphasised the importance of the strategic partnership with Santander. ‘Técnico students don’t just stand out for their academic excellence, but also for their entrepreneurial capacity, and Santander supports this innovative spirit,’ he said.
Miguel Belo de Carvalho, a member of the Executive Committee at Santander, emphasised the important role of Técnico in national innovation, saying that ‘a large part of the ideas that have an impact on society and the economy come from Técnico’, which was complemented by Inês Gouveia, Head of Santander Universities, who highlighted the ‘high level of excellence’ of Técnico students.
The event featured panels dedicated to entrepreneurship topics and the role of Técnico in encouraging it, with the participation of students involved in startups and Students’ Organisations, Técnico professors and entrepreneurial players from Santander Universidades, the European Innovation Academy and Lisbon’s Unicorn Factory.
The programme also included the presentation of the TecInnov Santander Students Organisations Competition Awards, which granted a total of 30,000 euros to nine students’ organisations: the Técnico Brewers Club, GameDev, the Aerospace Engineering Students’ Organisation (AeroTéc), the Projecto de Sustentabilidade Energética Móvel (PSEM), Técnico Fuel Cell (TFC), Técnico Lisboa Moto (TLMoto), Técnico Solar Boat, Formula Student (FST) and the Junior Enterprises at Instituto Superior Técnico (JUNITEC).
The Santander X awards were also presented during the event. Three startups involving Técnico students, researchers or alumni were recognised with the award in the “Universities” category. The First prize went to Lampsy Health, a novel epilepsy video monitoring and seizure detection device, second prize to BreastScreening AI, which seeks to integrate artificial intelligence in radiology, and the third prize to FreshIST, a method that aims to prevent food from ripening prematurely during transport. The “Startups Edition” category recognised FiberSight, Yorba and ZeroPact.
Incentives for university entrepreneurship and Técnico’s role in promoting entrepreneurship were debated
The first panel of the event, with the theme ‘Incentives for University Entrepreneurship’, was attended by Inês Gouveia (Head of Santander Universities), João Lopes (GameDev), Nuno Lynce (FST Lisboa), Guilherme Carabalone (participant in EIA and Web Summit) and Miguel Amado (Vice-President of Técnico for Sustainability and Infrastructures). The session, moderated by Carla Patrocínio, Head of the Technology Transfer Office, highlighted the support available for students’ organisations and initiatives that foster entrepreneurship. João Lopes emphasised the importance of Santander’s funding, which has enabled the team to participate in international competitions. ‘We don’t want talent to be held back by a lack of money, and that’s where Santander’s support makes all the difference’ he said. Nuno Lynce emphasised the need for support to turn ideas into real projects. “Engineers have lots of ideas, but what gives us pleasure is to put them into action. This is made possible thanks to supports like this”, he said. Guilherme Carabalone spoke about his experience at the EIA and the Web Summit, two initiatives supported by Santander, encouraging everyone present to take a risk and take part. ‘These activities explore skills that are sometimes underdeveloped in engineering education’, he said. Miguel Amado highlighted the Santander Innovator’s Challenge 2025 – Sustainable Campus programme, encouraging students to submit their applications.
The second panel, titled ‘Técnico’s Role in Promoting Entrepreneurship’, featured Vicente Garção (Founder of Lampsy), Gil Azevedo (Executive Director at Unicorn Factory Lisboa), Daniel Vila Boa (Founder of Chilltime and mentor at the European Innovation Academy), Vicente Megre (JUNITEC), Francisco Calisto (Founder of Breast-Screening AI) and Francisca Matias (Strategy specialist at Santander), moderated by Pedro Amaral, the Vice-President of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation and Technology. The discussion focused on the work carried out by Técnico to boost entrepreneurship and the opportunities that the school provides for its students and alumni. The panel discussed the work that has been carried out and future prospects. Gil Azevedo emphasised Técnico’s growing importance on the national entrepreneurial scene. “Técnico is giving a big boost to national entrepreneurship. We have a lot of engineers per capita and we need to capitalise on this potential,” he said. Daniel Vila Boa, who founded his first startup while he was still a Técnico student, recalled the challenges of the past and praised the current opportunities. ‘I’d love to be 20 again because today Técnico offers opportunities that didn’t exist back then’, he emphasised.
