The 8th edition of the “Shaping the Future” programme took place on 4, 5 and 6 September 2023, in the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. Organised by the Scientific Council and the Pedagogical Council, in partnership with the Academic Development Office (NDA), this is an intensive training programme that promotes the adaptation of new professors and researchers to Técnico’s culture, fostering teaching excellence.

“Academic Career” was the motto of the first day. The President of Técnico, Rogério Colaço, underlined the importance of this training programme and stressed “we want not only to renew the teaching staff but also to give them the tools and all the support to be the best professors for the best students”. He also mentioned “the importance of career planning”, and highlighted that the programme includes a sabbatical leave.

The President of the Scientific Council, Pedro Brogueira, the President of the Pedagogical Council, Teresa Peña, and the Coordinator of the Mentoring programme, João Ramôa Correia, also attended the session.

A networking session, led by Isabel Gonçalves, where the trainees could get to know each other better, took place on the first morning, as well as a session to reflect on academic leadership, with Paulo Ferrão, and to discuss the importance of start-up funds (funded by Banco Santander). Tânia Ramos and Fábio Fernandes shared the impact of their sabbatical leave on their academic careers.

Lunch included a talk by Miguel Prazeres on career prospects. In the afternoon, Ana Póvoa gave her testimony on how to combine excellent teaching and research. Life in academia was the subject of a round table with Susana Vieira, Gonçalo Figueira and Leonardo Azevedo, moderated by Luís Oliveira e Silva. The day ended with a question and answer session that involved the new professors and researchers and professors Pedro Brogueira, Teresa Peña and João Ramôa Correia.

The second day was dedicated to “Challenges in Teaching”. The session focused on the psychological characteristics of Técnico students and student support systems, under the responsibility of the NDA, and included two round tables, one on “Teaching in the era of Large Language Models and Artificial Intelligence” and the other on “Teaching in the 21st century: teaching and learning with Flipped Classroom, Project Based Learning and Student Support”.

During lunch, Dídia Covas shared her vision of supervision, recruitment and interaction with students. In the afternoon, two webinars took place via Zoom, one by Professor Petra Rudolf (University of Groningen) and the other by Professor Elizabeth Keller (KTH, Stockholm). The day ended with a presentation by Joana Lobo Antunes on the importance of science communication in the careers of young academics and researchers.

“Knowing Técnico” and “Funding Challenges” were the two topics addressed on the last day. The day began with a presentation of the various Técnico services that are relevant to the new professors and researchers, followed by a discussion panel on attracting funding to foster scientific independence.

Pedro Brogueira, João Ramôa Correia and Teresa Peña led the closing session. The 8th edition of “Shaping the Future” was attended by eight professors and eight researchers.