The ‘Smart City’ project, part of the “Engenharia para Todos” programme, is the result of a partnership between Técnico, Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC ID) and the Oeiras Municipality. The project aims to get primary and secondary school students to design and build prototypes of smart, sustainable and technologically innovative cities.

To this end, ‘Smart City’ comes to life in the Science Clubs of Oeiras schools, where students engage directly with advanced technologies such as robotics, 3D modelling and printing, Arduino programming, electronics and soldering. Currently, three schools in the municipality are actively involved in the project. Students benefit from monthly guidance provided by Técnico students, from the Electronics Engineering Students’ Organisation (N3E) and the Robotics and Electronics Club (ROB 9-16), who offer technical support and share academic and professional experiences.

Marta Costa, a 6th-grade student at Conde de Oeiras Middle School, explains: “I like being part of the science club because we’re always doing new things, trying to solve problems”. “I feel like we’re helping the world”, she says. Ana Batista, a teacher, emphasises that ‘the project has brought innovation’ and that ‘Técnico’s support empowers teachers and students with different methodologies’. According to Luísa Rocha, also a teacher, it’s ‘a practical approach that motivates students, different from lectures’.

Students also had the opportunity to present their projects at the “2nd Meeting of Oeiras Science Clubs,” held on 21 and 22 May at Técnico – Oeiras Campus.

This academic year, around three thousand children and young people from Oeiras took part in activities under the ‘Engenharia para Todos’ programme.