In a partnership between Psychology and Management, students from five countries took part in a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) – an innovative and intensive programme that combines online and face-to-face learning, offering students a rich international experience without the need for extended travel.

The Faculty of Education and Psychology at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP) and the Católica Porto Business School provided a unique international academic experience by organising a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP).

Over the course of a week, students from various nationalities and partner universities, alongside UCP students, came together at Católica in Porto for an intensive course marked by interdisciplinary learning and networking.

Under the theme "Innovation Beyond Boundaries: Crafting Education and a Talented Workforce in an Era of Change", this edition brought together students from five countries in a collaboration between Psychology and Management, focusing on the intersection of artificial intelligence, mental health, and empathetic leadership.

 

An intense week of workshops, lectures, and field visits in Porto

Prior to the in-person sessions, students had access to preparatory materials and took part in an online opening session. The in-person experience at Universidade Católica in Porto took place from 24 to 28 March 2025, with a diverse programme featuring interactive workshops and expert-led lectures. Topics included the role of research in organisational transformation, the power of education in empowering future professionals, diversity and inclusion in organisational settings, sustainable communication, decision-making and empathetic leadership, artificial intelligence in the workplace, and mental health at work.

In addition to the academic activities, students visited key institutions such as the Lionesa Business Hub, Estádio do Dragão, and Hospital de São João, offering them practical, real-world insight into the programme’s topics. Alongside academic rigour, the initiative also featured cultural and social moments, encouraging connections among students.

 

A meeting of cultures and ideas

This edition of the BIP welcomed 48 participants in total, including 36 international students from partner universities in Spain, Lithuania, Romania, and Poland, as well as 12 students from UCP (enrolled in the Master’s in Psychology and Human Resources Development at FEP-UCP and the Master’s in Management with a specialisation in Human Resources Management at CPBS).

According to Filipa Sobral (FEP-UCP) and Eva Dias de Oliveira (CPBS), lecturers and members of the course’s organising committee, this diversity enriched the discussions and fostered a valuable exchange of ideas. “Interaction among students from different backgrounds promotes key intercultural skills, such as adapting to new realities, effective communication in multicultural settings, and international collaborative work,” they emphasised.

 

A week that left a lasting impact

The impact of the BIP is reflected in the words of its participants. João Mury, a CPBS student and participant, described the week as “transformative in many ways,” highlighting the opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas on the contemporary challenges of education and the future of work. “Engaging with international professors and peers further enriched the experience. Beyond exchanging perspectives, we also formed truly meaningful friendships,” he said.

Mariana Santos Almeida, a FEP-UCP student, echoed this sentiment, calling it a “remarkable experience that uniquely blended academic growth and cultural exchange. Through workshops, visits, and lectures, I was able to reflect on current challenges in academia and the international job market.” For her, the experience reinforced the importance of international collaboration in both personal and academic development, leaving her even more motivated for future projects abroad.

Coming from Lithuania, Tomas Milius expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to get to know Universidade Católica and meet amazing people. “The professors were very welcoming and friendly. They created an environment that made me feel at home. Also, I learned new things that will be useful in my future career. I’m very thankful for this opportunity!” he shared.

The choice of Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto as host for the BIP reinforces its role in organising innovative and interdisciplinary programmes. “UCP stands out for its commitment to academic excellence and internationalisation, and Porto, as a cosmopolitan and dynamic city, offers the perfect setting for reflecting on the themes explored in the course,” said Filipa Sobral.

“The success of this edition is due to the dedication of the organising team, the commitment of the lecturers, and the enthusiasm of the students. We thank all participants and look forward to strengthening this initiative in future editions!”, concluded the lecturers from FEP-UCP and CPBS.

The BIP organising committee also included Patrícia Oliveira-Silva (FEP-UCP) and Diogo Costa, a researcher at the Research Centre for Human Development (CEDH).

 

What is the BIP?

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) is an Erasmus+ initiative that brings together at least three higher education institutions to develop a short, multidisciplinary, international course focused on innovative teaching and learning strategies.

With a hybrid format combining online and face-to-face components, it offers students an international experience without the need for prolonged travel. Its interdisciplinary approach and strong practical component make this programme key to developing skills in innovation, collaboration, and adaptability in multicultural contexts.

Católica Porto Business School dominated the podium of the Porto Economy Award, an initiative promoted by Porto City Council, which annually recognises three academic dissertations on topics relevant to the city's economy. The award ceremony occurred on 3 April, at Porto City Hall, with the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, personally presenting the awards.

Francisco Sousa Matos, a Master’s in Business Economics student at Católica Porto Business School, took the top prize with his thesis "Dynamic Analysis of Housing Market Segmentation in the Municipality of Porto". Católica Porto Business School professor Pedro Silva supervised his research.

For Francisco, "Receiving the Porto Economy Award is a recognition of my work and effort, showing that research like this can go beyond academia and contribute meaningfully to the economic reality."

"This study aimed to identify the existence of housing submarkets in the municipality of Porto. Defining these submarkets provides valuable insights for homeowners, local authorities, lenders, investors, and property developers," he added.

Second place was awarded to Isabel Marramaque Ribeiro (Master’s in Marketing), while third place went to Tiago Gesta Pedrosa (Master’s in Management, specialising in Service Management).

Joana César Machado and Carla Martins supervised Isabel's thesis, "A content analysis of Porto's online perceived and projected city image, " exploring how Porto’s image is shaped online.

For Isabel, "receiving this award is truly rewarding. The thesis process was challenging, but I believe it resulted in a comprehensive and insightful study on how Porto's city image is built online. The guidance of Professors Joana and Carla, to whom I am deeply grateful, was essential to achieving this result."

Tiago Gesta Pedrosa, under the supervision of Jorge Julião, developed his dissertation based on his internship report, "Enhancing Urban Attractiveness for Foreign Direct Investment".

Reflecting on the achievement, Tiago shared: "I am incredibly proud to be part of this podium and of this school that has given me so much. (...) Here's to the next challenges!"

The Porto Economy Award aims to encourage research with real-world applications to the local economy. It allows students, researchers, and professionals to share their perspectives on the region’s economic landscape.

Católica Porto Business School has three of its Master’s programmes ranked among the best in the world in the QS Business Master’s Rankings.

At a time when the world is experiencing an accelerated global and technological revolution, Católica Porto Business School, in partnership with Seal Group, has decided to organise a series of lunches called Beyond Business, which will bring a national or international guest to address the selected topic. For the first edition, which took place yesterday, 1 April, guests had the presence of the chairman of the board of the Serralves Foundation, Isabel Pires de Lima.  

The dean of Católica Porto Business School, João Pinto, gave the opening speech. "This initiative is part of the extension of the Executive MBA Corporate Club to Católica Porto Business School", he began. "But it's also an initiative that aims to foster an even greater connection to practice, create a positive impact on society and companies, and debate new ideas and ways of looking at reality", he concluded. 

The theme of this first edition centred on the valuable nature of leisure and imagination, with Isabel Pires de Lima beginning her speech with "the evolution of society towards a subordination to the acceleration in which we live, which is an endogenous form of violence". For the former Minister of Culture, this acceleration "prevents the enjoyment of moments of suspension, due to the feeling of guilt the individual has for not doing what they should be doing". 

For this reason, Isabel Pires de Lima emphasised that "the humanities and the arts can occupy a place of resistance" in a healthy questioning that must exist in resistance to this fast pace, movement, and robotic hyperactivity. "We can slow down, take breaks, question. Yes, we can", she followed up before emphasising that young people are also affected by the difficulty of integrating "new knowledge into the previously known world. We have to be able to offer them stories, narratives that stimulate their inner enlargement and their relationship with others". 

In conclusion, Isabel Pires de Lima quoted Eça de Queirós in "The Correspondence of Fradique Mendes": "Illusion (...) is as useful as certainty". The next Beyond Business lunch, which aims to create a space for trust, sharing, networking and debating strategies and ideas centred on the future of business, will be announced soon.