The Dean of NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Miguel de Castro Neto, has been honoured with the Inclusive Talent Leadership Award 2026 – Transformative Education Leadership, an international distinction that recognises leaders with a transformative impact on education.
The award highlights the strategic vision that has been developed at NOVA IMS to address the challenges of the future of education, embodied in EDGE – Educational Design for a Global Experience. This model integrates pedagogical innovation, the reconfiguration of learning spaces, and the use of learning analytics, promoting a systemic approach to educational transformation.
More than recognising an individual trajectory, this distinction values an integrated vision of education, in which the articulation between teaching, technology, space and institutional decision-making is central to generating impact. This strategy has contributed to positioning NOVA IMS as a reference in a more connected, data-driven and people-centred education. “This distinction reflects a collective effort to rethink the future of education in a smarter, more integrated way, prepared to respond to emerging challenges,” emphasises Miguel de Castro Neto.
EDGE: an integrated model for educational transformation
EDGE is structured around three fundamental pillars: pedagogical innovation, learning spaces and learning analytics.
This model has strengthened the institution’s governance capacity, promoting more agile, data-driven decision-making. BrainU has already been recognised with the Best Education Project award at the Portugal Digital Awards 2024, presented by IDC Portugal.
The awarded submission also highlights the development of this in-house ecosystem, based on NOVA IMS’s expertise in data science and business intelligence, reinforcing institutional autonomy and innovation capacity.
According to Miguel de Castro Neto, “digital transformation in education should be understood as a structural capability, aimed at improving the learning experience, the quality of decision-making and the impact of institutions.”