The School’s cooperation with local, national and foreign industries, local authorities and public and private entities is normally developed through direct contact with Research and Development (R&D) groups at Research Centres and public or private interface organisations. The School of Engineering places a high priority on this type of activity, which allows it to ensure an understanding of the evolution of social needs, the integration of its graduates into the business fabric, and to select relevant topics for research with a bearing on national development.

This activity covers testing and consultancy, audits, R&D with a view to product or technology development, technology transfer, or intensive courses. The creation of R&D companies located on the university campus and in cooperation with industrial and development sectors of national and international prestige is currently materialised in six reference institutions: CCG-ZGDV, CVR, Dtx, Fibrenamics, PIEP e TecMinho.

As part of the UMinho School of Engineering’s Agenda for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a visit was made on 6 May by some partner companies (Casais, Petrotec, Continental), representatives of some student groups (NEETEXUM, AEECUM), UMinho’s junior engineering company EPIC Junior, and Formula Student UMinho to the UMinho Interfaces that operate in the areas of Engineering.

The aim of this visit was to provide a moment of greater knowledge and interaction between these companies and students and the Interfaces that provide engineering services to the outside world, namely Dtx, CCG – ZGDV, PIEP, Fibrenamics and CVR, demonstrating part of the innovation ecosystem in which the School of Engineering operates.

The Agenda for Innovation & Entrepreneurship was launched in 2024 at the Inovar & Empreender Showcase and aims to bring together and provide a series of initiatives that further boost the innovative and entrepreneurial capacity within the School of Engineering’s academic community.