Within the framework of the course Project in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Engineering and Management (PEGIE), second-year students from the Bologna Master’s in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Engineering and Management (MEGIE) took part in an immersive week in Miranda do Douro, focused on developing and testing solutions to real-world challenges in a territorial context.

The initiative was carried out in partnership with the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), within the E3+ programme (https://e3mais.ipb.pt/), and in collaboration with the Municipality of Miranda do Douro, which proposed concrete challenges related to the Câmara Musical de Miranda do Douro.

Throughout the project, students analysed the proposed challenges and developed solutions oriented towards innovation and entrepreneurship, culminating in an intensive on-site week. During this period, they were able to test their proposals in direct interaction with the local community, gather feedback and engage with a range of local stakeholders.

The activity concluded with the final presentation of the projects to the Municipal Council and local stakeholders and experts, providing students with a learning experience closely aligned with professional practice, where innovation and entrepreneurship are developed in interaction with real actors.

The initiative involved faculty members Joana Mendonça and Miguel Torres Preto, from the DEG at Instituto Superior Técnico, reinforcing the department’s commitment to experiential learning models, interinstitutional collaboration, and strong links between education, territory and society, within the MEGIE programme.