More than a thousand participants presented their technological and scientific projects at NOVA's School of Science and Technology that ended last week.

The annual NOVA FCT Entrepreneurship Program is one of the largest in Europe and includes a five week of project development phase that include mentoring sessions, pitch competions and a final award cerimony. The Grand Auditorium of the Caparica Campus at NOVA FCT was the stage for the competition for prizes, with values of 2,000 euros for 1st place, 1,000 euros for 2nd place and 500 euros for 3rd place, in addition to prizes of partner companies.

The overall winner, “Malaria Sense,” offers a rapid diagnostic test for malaria, a global disease that affects millions of people. Secondly, “OperateInSight” proposes a surgical planning platform in virtual reality. Thirdly, “WasteWise Innovations” aims to solve the problem of construction waste, transforming it into recycled bricks.

In addition to the winners, other teams were awarded by companies such as ASSECO, Deloitte, EY, Jerónimo Martins, MEXT: Mota-Engil Next, NOS and NTT Data. Highlighted projects include knee power generation technology and a smart dressing with biosensors.

The award cerimony celebrated the end of five weeks dedicated to transforming technological ideas into solutions for the market.

Fernanda Llussá, one of those responsible for coordinating the program, highlights the creative potential of the Program, highlighting the importance of extra-curricular activities to understand the true impact on Portuguese society.

NOVA FCT’s Entrepreneurship Program demonstrated, once again, that college should not just be a traditional teaching space, but a true creative and entrepreneurial hub, where Portugal’s future scientists and engineers are born”, she highlighted.

The program is supported by the PRR - Recovery and Resilience Plan and the NextGeneration EU European Funds.