On 12 March, the InventUM initiative, organised by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the UMinho School of Engineering, took place in the main auditorium on the Azurém campus. The event brought together guests from academia, the world of entrepreneurship, public institutions and the student movement to reflect on how to transform knowledge into real value for society.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice-Rector for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Transfer, Professor Raúl Fangueiro, the President of the School of Engineering, Professor António Vicente, and the Director of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Mechanical Engineering, Professor Francisco Brito.
This was followed by a series of talks on the following themes and featuring the following guests:
– Engineering Skills – with Joana Cunha, Chair of the Academic Council of the School of Engineering at the University of Minho
– From idea to real value – with Elisabete Sampaio Sá, Lecturer at the School of Economics, Management and Political Science, University of Minho
– Protecting innovation – with Clara Silva, Entrepreneurship Coordinator at TecMinho
– Entrepreneurship with impact – with Deolinda Teixeira, CEO of Grupo Foco / Foco Criativo
– Engineering, Territory and Value Creation – with Marta Mota Prego, Head of the Economic Development Division of the Municipality of Guimarães
– Strategy and positioning – with Carlos Neves, President of the Mechanical Engineering College of the Portuguese Engineers’ Order
– Extracurricular activities – with Maria Monteiro, from the IEEE UMinho Student Branch
Following these presentations, a round-table discussion took place – ‘Engineering the Future’ – dedicated to reflecting on the profile of the engineer of the future, the skills needed to tackle real-world problems, and the role of innovation in creating economic and social value.
After a networking session and coffee break, it was the students’ turn to take centre stage at the event, presenting their ideas during the ‘Pitch – Inventor Mania’ session.
In conjunction with this event, and to prepare the students for their presentations, a seminar entitled “Pitching and Presenting Ideas in Engineering” had already taken place on 26 February, led by Paulo Salgado, a lecturer at the UMinho Institute of Social Sciences.
The UMinho School of Engineering congratulates the organisers on the initiative and all the students who presented their ideas, demonstrating the innovative and creative capacity of our academic community.
