The Portuguese Catholic University - Regional Centre of Porto (UCP-CRP) is a well-established University – located in Porto, in the North of Portugal, focused both on Teaching and Research and complementing its mission with a range of activities related to society with a focus on promoting Partnerships, Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer. The UCP at Porto has a Business School, and specific Technical and Scientific Services to society in different areas of knowledge.
UCP-CRP, has 6 Faculties: Education and Psychology, Management and Economics, College of Biotechnology (ESB), Health Studies, Arts, Law and Theology. ESB is a College of the Catholic University of Portugal, founded in 1984. The college offers five undergraduate programs, e.g. BioEngineering (Food Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering), Nutrition Sciences and Microbiology, with over 800 students, and various MSc and PhD programmes. ESB harbours the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF), a research unit that hosts over 100 researchers, ca. 15% holding doctoral degrees and ca. 50% postgraduate students. CBQF has consistently achieved the rating of Very Good in international evaluations promoted by the national research agency. In 2005, the Centre became a State Associate Laboratory, INTERFACE A4 – in the Food and Environmental sectors. ESB also harbours the Centre for Innovation and Industrial Technological Support (CINATE), which offers a wide range of contract services, from product development to industrial projects.
ESB-UCP at Porto is active at national and international level in what concerns Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Business Development, participating in Clusters (like the Portugal Foods, the Health Cluster Portugal or the Shoes Industrial Association), in Networks (such are ISEKI, Food Force, ESN, DIETS, European Technology Platforms, INOVAR,…), in different Research, Education and Innovation International Projects, keeps Partnerships with the key actors of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer ecosystems in Portugal (such are COTEC, Business Angels Associations, Portugal Ventures, Risk Capital Companies,…), and runs a Program of Promoting Entrepreneurship at the University in close cooperation with the Young Entrepreneur’s Associations, the National Network of Incubators, the Network of Science and Technology Parks - PortusPark, and other partners.
Entrepreneurship is one of the Transversal Areas of Activity at ESB, being those activities based on Innovation Programs, offering to Students, Researchers and Alumni conditions to develop business projects from knowledge. ESB also offers specific educational courses in Innovation and Entrepreneurship that contribute to the innovation ecosystem in the area of Bio-economy.
ESB-UCP contacts for the LEAD MSE project:
ESB-UCP website: www.esb.ucp.pt
Eduardo CARDOSO ecardoso [-at-] porto.ucp, pt
