On the 3rd of June, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto will host Linking Great Partners 2025, an emblematic event of the Department of Informatics Engineering (DEI), recognised for the impact of the contribution of students and the university to the regional innovation ecosystem.
It will take place throughout the day in the Auditorium José Carlos Marques dos Santos, in two parts: the LGP Challenge (pitch session, divided into four acts) and Tech in Action (product fair, divided into two parts).
LGP Challenge, the first act – innovating with AI – includes LGP startups that have developed AI-based solutions. The second act – innovating with the market – consists of a panel with startups that explored ideas proposed by students and developed these products by interacting with the market. In the third act – innovating with organisations – startups that have developed solutions to improve organisational processes will be presented. The last act – innovating with society – includes startups that have developed solutions in collaboration with actors from society.
There are 29 proto-startups created by around 320 students enrolled in the Project Management Laboratory (LGP) course, from various courses at the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) and the Faculty of Economics (FEP) to respond to the real challenges presented by the 23 partner organisations and opportunities identified in the market.
Using agile software development and experimentation methods, the student teams developed several innovative technological solutions, such as ‘Saudade à Viola’, a project developed in collaboration with artist Gil Ferreira, where a digital avatar joins him on stage, reacting in real time to his voice and adding visual elements to the story of each song; and the ‘HackTrack’ platform platform for learning about cybersecurity through real-world challenges, in collaboration with the Visionarium Association. This 2025 edition also saw the design of the products ‘Immersia Stations’, a solution for interactive and immersive experiences in museums, and ‘Há Cartas?’ (Are there cards?), a mobile application that allows you to turn any moment into an opportunity to play cards, even if everyone has forgotten to bring them. These are just a few examples of the products that will be presented during the event.
Luis Filipe Teixeira, coordinator of the course unit and Associate Professor at DEI, highlights that this approach ‘gives students an opportunity to acquire not only technical skills, but also collaboration, resilience and creativity, as they navigate the uncertainty and complexity of developing technological products for customers and the market.’
He adds that ‘LGP promotes an environment where experimentation is encouraged and where students take on entrepreneurial roles, engage with real stakeholders and learn by doing.’
For Raul Vidal, Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, “by involving students from various curricular spheres and different profiles in collaborative work that encourages critical and creative thinking, LGP is a unique opportunity to develop skills in project management, teamwork, customer interaction, marketing, communication, and many other areas that make our students future professionals with a truly distinctive profile and prepare them to be future leaders.”
Linking Great Partners 2025 will be broadcasting live on the event’s YouTube channel.