The Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) is a public institution of Higher Education, founded in 1983, which mission is to deliver a quality higher education, to promote Research and Technological Development, particularly in cooperation with the (within the) business community, and to contribute to the development of the Country and the Region, by providing technical, technological and scientific competences to the society in general.
The purposes of IPB, in compliance with this institutional mission, are:
a) To provide high quality higher education, directed to the preparation of highly qualified professionals, thus contributing to business promotion in all its aspects;
b) To perform applied scientific research and technological development;
c) The promotion of national and regional development through multiple ways of openness to the community, from knowledge transfer to the participation in programs and projects and services;
d) Culture promotion;
e) The permanent training of staff at scientific, pedagogical, educational, cultural and professional levels;
f) The collaboration with other Institutions;
g) The cooperation with other countries, in particular the Portuguese-speaking.
The strategy of the institution in medium/long term is based in three main pillars, taking into account its mission, objectives and vision:
- Deep commitment to linking with companies and the society in general in order to promote the national and regional development;
- Strengthening its scientific and technological networks, both at international and national levels;
- Strengthening the institution scientific capacity and quality of the developed actions in the various activity fields.
IPB develops an important Scientific Research and Technological Development activity, featuring three research units integrated in the network of the FCT research centres’: CIMO – Mountain Research Centre; LSRE – IPB pole of the Laboratory of Separation Processes and Reaction; and CIDESD – Sport, Health, and Human Development Research Centre. Additionally, UNIAG – Management Applied Research Unit, is also installed at IPB.
The importance of these activities is demonstrated by the sixth place in the ranking of open access repositories and the presence in the Top 10 of Portuguese institutions with most frequently cited articles; in the scientific performance ranking developed by SCImago Research Group, IPB is considered as the higher education institution with the higher “normalised impact”, the best “excellence with leadership”, and the best “technological impact”, occupying the seventh position among its congeners worldwide. Moreover, according to the international ranking U-Multirank, IPB is positioned in 2016, for the third consecutive year, in seventh place at national level and as the first Polytechnic Institute in Portugal.
The Viana do Castelo Polytechnic Institute (IPVC) was founded in 1980. Is a regional institution, whose aims are a qualified human, cultural, scientific, technical and professional training, to carry out necessary research to accomplish its mission and to cooperate with the regional community of Alto-Minho, particularly with its productive and entrepreneurial sectors.
The IPVC is made up of six Schools offering undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, these last very often in collaboration with national and international polytechnics and universities. Also promotes Master courses and specialization courses.
The IPVC is a community of students and qualified professionals, located in the northwest of Portugal, aware that the progress of society ensures the harmonious development of persons and their performance. They are together in the same mission: to create, manage and disseminate knowledge and culture, through processes of education/learning, research, transfer of technology and knowledge.
The IPVC has implemented its existence on the regional, national and international levels. The evolution of this process is based, on two fronts:
firstly through the continuous search for quality of training and, secondly, into its involvement in projects in several areas as a tool for building links with the natural partners and other national and international institutions.
The International Office (GMCI) and the Office of Technology, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer (OTIC) are the most visible face of the enormous effort that is the IPVC is developing for the embodiment of business and regional community into an international level. Since its foundation, IPVC has participated in the development of research projects and provide services to the community as a way to continue its mission. Thus, several national projects and international cooperation, in which the IPVC is/was involved: Erasmus+ KA1;KA2, Horizon 2020, Erasmus Mundus; ALFA III, POCTEP, Equal, Interreg, COMENIUS, PO North, Rainbow, Prodep, Focus, European Science Foundation, Leonardo da Vinci. Creating synergies by the concerted action of both internal (students, staff and teachers) and external communities, will be the attitude-brand of the institution.
The IPVC has, since its creation, bet in the development of research projects and offers services to the community as the way to continue its mission. Due to its extensive experience in the management of EU funds, IPVC has a technical support team fully aware of regulations and guidelines on national and European structural funds and, specially, with regard to issues of eligibility of expenditure, government procurement, environment, information and advertising and equal opportunity between men and women.
IPVC Quality Management System is certified by A3ES - Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education A3ES, since 2013 and also internationally certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2008.
The Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA) is a Public Higher Education Institution established on December 19th 1994 and located in Barcelos, a city in the north of Portugal. Aware of its purpose and responsibilities, IPCA’s mission is to contribute towards the development of the society, stimulate cultural creation, research and applied research and promote reflective and humanistic thought.
It also aims to provide areas of knowledge to attractive professional activities at a national and international levels, promoting mobility, employability and reciprocal relationships with the community.
In 2006, Professor João Carvalho was appointed President by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
In the following year, the Research Centre on Accounting and Taxation was created and later (2009) recognized by FCT (the national funding agency for science and research in Portugal).
IPCA offers a wide range of courses, such as Bachelor degrees, Professional Masters, Professional Higher Education Courses and non-degree courses. Oriented towards lifelong learning, its training offer includes daytime, after-work and distance learning classes. Over 50% of IPCA’s students attend after-work courses, which clearly highlights IPCA’s strategy to suit the needs of those already in the labour market.
IPCA aims to ensure more training to more students, reaching new audiences and training in different areas, this way contributing to the increase of the population’s level of qualification.
IPCA has a teaching and non-teaching qualified staff that is decisive to its success. The qualification of the teaching staff, oriented towards advanced scientific research and the development of pedagogical skills, is an ongoing concern ensuring thereby the required ratios in terms of the number of PhD holders required in higher education institutions. Scientific activity is also developed through research centers in distinct training areas, namely the Research Centre on Accounting and Taxation, recognized by FCT.
In order to provide the appropriate social, physical and environmental conditions to favor the teaching, learning and well-being of its academic community, IPCA has done a huge investment in modern facilities that provide a range of support services to a proper functioning of the Institution. IPCA has a campus where the Management School, Technology School and Design School are located, as well as other support services such as the Library, the Academic Services, the Information Systems Division, the Human Resources Division, the Legal Counsel Office, the Communication and Image Office, the International Relations Office, the Evaluation and Quality Office, the Entrepreneurship and Business Office, the Social Services and the canteen. The Praxis XXI building, where the academic community can find the Language Center, the Companies Spin-off, the Business Simulation Centre and the Europe Direct Information Centre (CIED), is also located in IPCA campus.
CATRAPORT, LDA., from now on designated CATRAPORT, it is a company founded in July 21 of 2015, in Portugal, with the intention of produce components and accessories for the automobile industry, through processes of cold industrial stamping. The Italian entity CATRA SPA was founded in 1979 and owns 92% of CATRAPORT, reflecting therefore a control relationship, belonging the remaining 8% to Eng.º José Amaral. Located in the north of Italy (about 50 km from Milan), CATRA SPA has as main activity cold stamping, plastic stamping, construction of tools and molds, welding, assembly and painting of components; 70% for the automobile sector and 30% for the remaining sectors that use this types of inputs; operating under the management philosophy Just in Time, applying a rigorous policy of quality reflected on the quality, management and environmental certificates.
The company has customers of the four continents of the globe such as China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico, besides several countries of the European Union. The group have a supplier-customer relationship with the company FAURECIA - Systems of Escape Portugal Lda., which produces components that are sold to this entity, that later does the assembly of the pieces. Because of the growth of this company needs, associated to the interest that the group has in the Iberian market, CATRA SPA decided to invest on the creation of a company in national territory. The choice of Bragança rests on the fact that the main partner is located on this town and in the same time the location is nearest to Spain, meeting the initial purposes. This way, the time between the request and the delivery of the product (in the hypothesis of inexistence stocks), compared with the production of the product in Italy, will be reduced from 2 months to 15 days, decreasing the stocks need.
The company CATRAPORT was constituted in July 2015, with 100.000 EUR of Social Capital, and the date foreseen to start production is January 2017. Taking into account the home company experience (in technical, technological, management and commercial terms), the company as defined which equipments, as well as the human and financial resources, are necessary to the implementation of the business strategy. In terms of execution of the CATRAPORT project, the company decided to name Engº José Amaral employee of CATRA SPA, CEO of the company, that was invited to integrate this project, being an experienced professional in this sector, with proofs given on the Italian and Portuguese market. In face of the needs, alongside with the execution of project investment, 35 workers will be admitted.
Project Coordinator Paulo Leitão
maintenance40@ipb.pt
