The Pedagogical Innovation Projects (PIP) are promoted by the Pedagogical Council, with support of the Scientific Council and the Governing Board. This initiative aims to fund innovative teaching methods and active learning strategies that positively impact the modernisation and adaptation of the teaching model at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa.

The PIP2026 edition, the eighth in this series, received 38 proposals, of which 13 were funded. The funded PIPs in this edition include digital platforms, physical teaching aids, and new spaces, among other initiatives, totalling approximately 70,000 euros.

“The availability of funding for this type of project is crucial because it provides interested professors with the resources to implement new ideas and teaching strategies”, says Joana Lobo Antunes, a professor at the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering, who proposed one of the thirteen PIPs that received funding in this edition. As she embarks on her first year teaching at Técnico, she views this initiative as a “support from the School for [her] ideas”—“it’s a way to feel the support of the Pedagogical Council, in addition to what I already receive from my department”, she adds.

Tiago Fernandes, a professor at the Department of Bioengineering, believes that “PIPs are a great tool for making learning more efficient and motivating for students”. “All professors have ideas for improving their curricular units or for trying out new teaching approaches, but often these ideas require time, resources, and the right conditions to be implemented”, explains the professor, for whom “PIPs create that space for innovation”, offering “an opportunity to experiment, innovate, and bring projects to life that might otherwise remain only on paper”.

Funded Pedagogical Innovation Projects (PIP2016) 

Do código ao Tangível (Transitioning “from code to tangible”)

Augusto Esteves, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI)

This PIP aims to use generative artificial intelligence to assist in creating code for rendering three-dimensional objects. Using physical devices like Arduino and sensors instead of a mouse and keyboard, it reduces cognitive load and allows students to focus on interaction architecture.

StartUp Navigator

Carla Costa, Department of Engineering and Management (DEG)

StartUp Navigator is a digital platform designed to guide students through the different stages of developing a business idea. The system, which will integrate artificial intelligence tools, will function as a structured guide to the validation process and will be aligned with the curriculum of a curricular unit, serving as a tool to provide ongoing support for students’ independent work.

VisDeck

Daniel Gonçalves, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI)

VisDeck is a system of physical cards that encode the fundamental elements of the design grammar for information visualisation. These cards can be used in both theory and practical classes, or independently, to assist students in developing their projects. A system of tabs and symbols on the edges of the cards will clearly indicate invalid configurations – in such situations, the cards will simply not fit together.

Melhorando o Ensino com IA (Improving Teaching with AI)

Filipe Joaquim, Department of Physics (DF)

This PIP proposes the implementation of the Upstack.AI platform, involving curricular units from various departments. Upstack.AI is an artificial intelligence platform designed for education, founded by Técnico alumni. Its architecture supports the creation of learning modules, generation of assessments, provision of virtual assistants, production of automatic feedback, and aid for professors in analysing student performance.

LabCOMTécnico

Joana Lobo Antunes, Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering (DER)

The Science Communication and Engineering Laboratory at Técnico (LabCOMTécnico) will be a space equipped for recording, editing and producing podcasts and videocasts. It will also serve as an experimental laboratory for curricular units focused on science communication. Through project-based learning, students will engage in capturing audio and video, drafting scripts, and editing content that meets scientific quality standards suitable for public dissemination on digital platforms.

XR-Clinical IA Lab

Joaquim Jorge, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI)

This PIP aims to create an educational ecosystem that connects engineering students with real-world challenges and needs in the medical field. Validation will come from professors and clinical specialists at the Faculty of Medicine of Universidade de Lisboa and the Santa Maria Local Health Unit. Students will develop immersive systems supported by artificial intelligence, while professors, clinical specialists and healthcare students will participate as validators and users of the simulated scenarios.

PALOMY

Leigh Sutherland, Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM)

This project is based on the purchase of a small fleet of remote-controlled model ships and a portable tank. This equipment will enable Naval Architecture students to gain hands-on experience of theoretical concepts relating to navigation and stability for small vessels. It will also serve to enhance the interactive activities organised by Técnico at events such as the “Open Day” and “Verão na ULisboa”, as well as provide a test model for master’s theses in the field of Naval Architecture.

5e-Rocket

Paulo Oliveira, Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM)

As a suite of autonomous platforms, the 5e-Rocket offers students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with aerospace systems of a certain complexity, in a laboratory environment and through real-time testing. The configuration presented has been widely used in space launch vehicles, both during the ascent phase and for autonomous landing.

Gamificação IEI  (IEI Gamification)

Pedro Adão, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI)

Some students struggle with curricular units (CUs) related to Computer Science Engineering, not due to conceptual difficulties with the topics, but because they are unfamiliar with essential tools that are often assumed to be prerequisites for these CUs (such as git, terminal and command line, SSH, etc.). This PIP aims to ‘gamify’ the learning of these tools by introducing a system of points, badges and optional more advanced challenges, designed to encourage student engagement without penalising those who progress at a slower pace.

HERO

Ricardo Lameirinhas and Marcelino Santos, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC)

The HERO project focuses on implementing, developing and adapting experimental instruments such as spectrometers, wavelength metres, optical alignment systems, microscopes, spectrum analysers and other equipment, with a view to enabling students to ‘make’ rather than merely ‘use’ these devices.  As part of a project-based learning approach, the project proposes an empirical pedagogical approach, rather than isolated, predefined exercises.

Interface E-textiles (E-textiles Interface)

Teresa Almeida, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI)

This project aims to introduce e-textiles (digital textile interfaces) into the teaching of interaction design, bringing about a shift away from traditional teaching methods – the focus is shifted from conventional digital interfaces to material, embodied and sensory interfaces. The methodology is based on active, project-based learning, involving students in all stages of the design thinking process.

TwinBioSys

Tiago Fernandes, Department of Bioengineering (DBE)

A digital twin can be understood as a dynamic, simplified and education-oriented computational representation of a real biological system, capable of simulating its behaviour and supporting the formulation of hypotheses and predictions under different conditions. TwinBioSys proposes that students work in teams to develop digital twins of cellular systems (for example, cell growth and viability, response to stimuli or drugs, simple regulatory circuits or metabolic dynamics), within a framework of teaching modules and continuous formative feedback.

Digital Bioprocessing

Tiago Matos, Department of Bioengineering (DBE)

The project proposes an innovative academic approach based on the sequential integration of two curricular units in the field of Bioengineering, enabling students to progress from fundamental concepts of dynamic systems to the development of mechanistic models, digital twins and artificial intelligence tools. The teaching methodology is based on project-based learning, incorporating flipped classrooms where students prepare and present theoretical content prior to its practical application.