In the context of the official visit to the exhibitions of “Contextile – Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art” that takes place in Guimarães until October 25th, Domingos Bragança, president of the city council, informed the Prime Minister António Costa that the Municipality of Guimarães and the University of Minho are already working to install the Aerospace Engineering School in the former Arquinho Factory.

Another project is the installation of the Digital Transformation Academy in Pevidém (S. Jorge de Selho), where the municipality also acquired an old textile factory. Domingos Bragança recalled that this is a very industrialized area, but also pointed out that this “talent training project” fits in a geographical area where three of the country’s most exporting counties are located.

Already in times of pandemic, the Office of Crisis and Economic Transition was created in Guimarães, led by António Cunha, former President of EEUM and former rector of UMinho, and there are already several collaborative projects, revealed Edil Vimaranense who believes in a future of economic transition “strongly based on digital and industry 5.0”.

Domingos Bragança defends that “the key to the future we want is in our universities, research and knowledge institutions”, but safeguards that technology must be “harmonized with environmental sustainability, cultural values and ethical principles”.