University of Aveiro

Introduction

The University of Aveiro (UAveiro) is a public foundation under private law whose mission is to contribute to and develop graduate and postgraduate education and training, research and cooperation with society. UAveiro is one of Portugal’s 14 public universities. It was founded in 1973 and paved the way in the creation of teaching offers in several knowledge fields. Today, UAveiro is widely recognized as one of the most innovative universities in Portugal, the quality of its teaching and research and for its cooperation with regional and national business. Its organisation and matrix structure, encompassing University (16 departments) and Polytechnic (four schools) subsystems, stimulates knowledge exchange and cross-contamination between knowledge fields, promoting a useful proximity between teaching and research, which results in a very appealing message for national and international students. Such a structure fosters interdisciplinarity and flexibility through the organisation and management of its activities and objectives, as well as openness to society and close links to the local business environment. Internationalization is of major importance to the UAveiro since its foundation. In just 50 years the university moved from a very small institution into a community of 15 thousand students, collaborators, researchers and teachers, coming from 90 different nationalities. UAveiro is located in Aveiro, one of the most beautiful regions in the country and the third Portuguese district with the largest number of municipalities (19), which is why it is so different, diverse and rich. Located in the central part of Portugal, Aveiro combines tradition, nature and modernity perfectly. The main influence on the city is the Aveiro lagoon, which gives it a unique feature and makes it one of the river and water marvels on the Portuguese coast. Benefitting from all the advantages of a big city, Aveiro offers the quality of life of a medium sized city, and is a pleasant place to live and work. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Aveiro has a typical coastal climate, dominated by sea breezes and with extensive sandy beaches, which are only 10km away from the city and are easily accessed by car, bus or even bicycle. The University of Aveiro has three teaching hubs located in the municipalities of Aveiro, Águeda and Oliveira de Azeméis but its connection to the region goes far beyond these geographical borders. As a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU), UAveiro is part of the project of creating a European University, which seeks to represent a paradigm shift in higher education.