Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (IIES) of the consortium that brings together NOVA University Lisbon, Casa do Impacto (Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa), and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa through the YUNUS Social Innovation Center in the creation of innovative solutions for major environmental and social challenges.
By 2027, NOVA University Lisbon will promote six editions of these programs, each focused on a different thematic area:
Join us. Seize this opportunity and be part of the response to social and territorial innovation challenges.
The second edition is dedicated to the challenges in the field of Public Health and will take place from 13 November to 7 December. Check the participation conditions.
Applications:
This is a programme focused on analyzing and anticipating challenges and opportunities within each thematic area.
The second edition, dedicated to the field of Public Health, is mentored by Paulo Sousa and Isabel Maurício.
Paulo Sousa is an Associate Professor with Habilitation and Director of the Department of Health Strategies at the National School of Public Health, NOVA University Lisbon (ENSP-NOVA). He is also responsible for the WHO Collaborating Centre for Education, Research, and Evaluation of Safety and Quality in Healthcare.
Isabel Maurício is an Assistant Professor in Medical Parasitology at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University Lisbon (IHMT/UNL). She is the Coordinator of the PhD programme in Human Genetics and Infectious Diseases, and a specialist in genetic diversity and recombination.
Programme overview
Part A: Key issues and challenges
Part B: Foresight and opportunities for action
Venue: NOVA Innovation Camp; Analytics Lab / NOVA IMS (Campolide Campus)
Date: 13 November, 10:00–18:00
This is a programme that promotes the development of exploratory projects and new possibilities for experimentation.
The second edition, dedicated to the field of Public Health, is mentored by Guilherme Victorino, Deputy Director of NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) and Coordinator of the NOVA Innovation & Analytics Lab. He is a Professor in the areas of Innovation and Change Management. He has also served as Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Health, Advisor to the Board of ACSS, Marketing Director of the Lusíadas Group, and Member of the Executive Committee of SAMS.
Programme overview
Ideation
Promotion of ideation processes through design thinking
Capacity-building for innovation and the creation of impactful projects
Personalised mentoring
Venue: NOVA Innovation Camp; Analytics Lab / NOVA IMS (Campolide Campus)
Dates: 19, 20 and 27 November (10:00–18:00); 4 December: final pitches
OPEN Programme
The first edition, dedicated to Housing, Habitat, and Mobility, was mentored by Gonçalo Antunes (professor and researcher at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University Lisbon) and José Carlos Ferreira (professor and researcher at the NOVA School of Science and Technology).
Programme Overview:
Location: NOVA Innovation Camp; Analytics Lab / NOVA IMS (Campolide Campus)
Date: June 26, 2025, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
IDEA Programme
The first edition, focused on Housing, Habitat, and Mobility, was mentored by Guilherme Victorino (professor and researcher at NOVA IMS – NOVA Information Management School).
Programme Overview:
Location: NOVA Innovation Camp; Analytics Lab / NOVA IMS (Campolide Campus)
Dates: July 3, 10, and 11 (10:00 am – 6:00 pm)
Final Pitches: July 17, 2025
The programmes are open to professionals, researchers, faculty members, and students interested in deepening their knowledge and testing ideas and innovation potential in key areas of social and territorial development.
No. Although the programmes are part of an innovation cycle, they are independent from one another
All participants will have access to:
Yes. CONNECT – Turning Knowledge into Impact offers training, acceleration, and incubation programmes across six domains of social and territorial innovation. These programmes are promoted by the partners: NOVA University Lisbon, Universidade Católica Portuguesa / YUNUS Social Innovation Center, and Casa do Impacto (Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa).
Yes, there will be more editions of the OPEN and IDEA programmes covering the other thematic areas that make up the CONNECT consortium. As a reminder, there are six domains:
Send all your questions to: connect@unl.pt
