Instituto Superior Técnico and TagEnergy celebrated the second edition of the ‘Women in Energy MSc’ Scholarships, a programme aimed at supporting and encouraging female students in Energy and Engineering. The initiative is aligned with promoting gender equality in the technology sector and aims to empower female students and open doors to greater female representation in traditionally male-dominated sectors. The ceremony took place on 14 October, at Técnico – Alameda campus.
Inês Dias and Margarida Cavaleiro, Mechanical Engineering and Energy Engineering and Management master’s students, respectively, were the winners of the 2023/24 edition of the scholarship programme supported by TagEnergy. Inês Dias participated in the ceremony remotely, as she is currently studying in Stuttgart, under the Erasmus programme. ‘Women need to be encouraged and empowered to pursue these fields. This scholarship programme is a great example’, she said. Margarida Cavaleiro, pointed out the importance of ensuring that ‘young children may see the energy sector as an option for their academic and professional future’.
According to one of last year’s winners, Maria Pedrosa, ‘these scholarships are very important because many were previously awarded to men. This scholarship programme makes a difference,’ she said.
The president of Instituto Superior Técnico, Rogério Colaço, took the opportunity to reinforce the importance of this programme by saying that ‘the TagEnergy scholarships are a very stimulating support’ for the school’s female students. ‘These measures fall within two strategic lines: supporting students and promoting gender equality’, he said. ‘Although 52 per cent of the Portuguese population is female, this proportion is not reflected in many prominent positions in the technology sector. Técnico actively seeks to combat that with initiatives like this’, he added.
Monica Andreu, the company’s Chief Technology Officer and TagEnergy representative stressed that ‘being a woman in the energy sector is a challenge’. She also mentioned the need to overcome barriers and prejudices in a sector that is still dominated by men. Nevertheless, she emphasised TagEnergy’s commitment to creating opportunities for more women to assert themselves in this field, contributing to a more inclusive and balanced industry.