On the top of the South Tower at Técnico – Alameda campus, several people are trying to hear each other over the wind gusts and the noise from the building’s ventilation system. Walking between the ducts across the terrace, dozens of international students try to find the best photo spot, taking advantage of the sunset in the background.
It’s not a common way to end a Wednesday, but this week is particularly special – between 16 and 22 November, Técnico welcomed dozens of international students from higher education institutions (HEIs) that are part of the ATHENS programme. The mobility initiative allows students to attend an intensive one-week course at one of the 15 faculties in the programme. This year, Técnico offered four courses (Operational Research; e-lab – Plasma Science and Technology; Value Proposition Design for Startups – create value for your customer; and Advanced Course on Microbial MultiOmics).
“The warm welcome we received at Técnico was just what we needed”, says Felipe Lavaquial, a Brazilian student at the French university ParisTech who enrolled in the Advanced Course on Microbial MultiOmics. Currently studying Industrial Engineering at the École des Ponts, Felipe was eager to explore a field related to biochemistry and chose Técnico as his destination because he has family in Lisbon.
Mina Kirval enrolled in the same course under the ATHENS programme, but says she ‘always wanted to come to Lisbon for the climate, culture, food, people…’. In this sense, ‘the programme was a great opportunity’ for the Turkish student from Istanbul Technical University, who also highlighted the contact with colleagues from several different countries.
Even outside the class schedule, the programme aims to encourage this contact, including visits to Lisbon city and Sintra over the weekend. This was one of the highlights for Tijs Bruyns, a Belgian student enrolled in the e-lab – Plasma Science and Technology course offered by Técnico. The KU Leuven student is also a semi-professional 400 metres track athlete, so combining training and competitions with a long-term mobility programme would have been difficult. The ATHENS programme was, therefore, the ideal choice for him. ‘The classes are quite challenging but interesting,’ he shared, joining her colleagues shortly afterwards for the group photo, with the “city of seven hills” in the background.
Between 15 and 22 March 2025, other courses will be offered under the ATHENS programme. The list will be announced in January, with applications taking place between the 7th and 29th of that month.
