From November 10 to 14, 2025, ISEL hosted the in-person phase of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) – Entrepreneurship Beyond Borders: Focusing on Climate Change, an initiative promoted by the U!REKA team of the Polytechnic University of Lisbon (IPL) and funded by the Erasmus+ program.
The project targeted undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students from any field, early-stage entrepreneurs and startup founders, as well as researchers and faculty from U!REKA network partner institutions interested in innovation and business incubation.
This BIP combined online sessions with in-person activities, aiming to foster sustainable entrepreneurship and carbon neutrality. The three online sessions took place between October 21 and November 18, while the in-person phase was held on the ISEL campus, bringing together international participants for five intensive days of learning and collaboration.
Throughout the week, participants deepened their understanding of innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship, developed startup ideas with positive environmental impact, engaged in practical workshops, roundtables, and co-creation sessions, explored funding opportunities in Portugal and the European Union, and pitched their projects to mentors and experts, receiving constructive feedback.
The program aimed to achieve, among other outcomes, a deeper understanding of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, financing and scalability strategies, and the development of an international, climate-conscious mindset.
International participation and team
The initiative brought together around 40 participants, including 25 students from Germany, Czechia, Portugal, and Austria. Jorge Albino and Nuno Aguiar, students of the Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, joined international teams in developing the projects.
On behalf of the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, the following faculty members and guests were involved:
ISEL: António Serrador, Matilde Pato, Luís Barreiros, and Isabel João. Guests: Fábio Matos (NEXUS) and Nuno Alves (ANI).
ESSL: Marina Silva, Mário Matos, and Gilda Cunha.
ESELx: Cristina Cruz.
