The launch of the Center for Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Católica Lisbon

I am very happy to share the launch of the Center for Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship (the CTIE) @ Catolica Lisbon School of Business and Economics with the presence of Patrick Drahi (entrepreneur and philanthropist), his daughter Graziella Drahi that shared with the audience the goals of the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation, the Rector of Universidade Catolica Portuguesa (Isabel Capeloa Gil), the Dean of Catolica Lisbon School of Business and Economics (Nuno Fernandes), and a range of distinguished guests from the diplomatic, business, and entrepreneurship worlds. Additionally numerous professors and researchers from the University and a full room of students were also present!

As the Founder of the CTIE, let me tell you more about: (1) What is the CTIE and its ambition, (2) What happened at the launch ceremony.

1. What is the CTIE (Center for Technological Innovation & Entrepreneurship) - The Center is hosted by Catolica Lisbon School of Business and Economics and benefits from the financial support of the Patrick & Lina Drahi Foundation for a five year period. The activities of the Center follow three dimensions: Research, Education and Bridging Worlds.

Research (creating knowledge): The Center encourages research in the areas of Technological Innovation & Entrepreneurship by financially supporting outstanding research (the Center has already awarded two research scholarships). This research is impacting and will continue to impact the Portuguese society at large and feeds the teaching taking place @ Catolica Lisbon School of Business and Economics.

Education (transmitting knowledge): The Center strengthens education in the area of technological innovation & entrepreneurship.

· The Center promote the training of Catolica students in the promising area of Design Thinking by supporting the cost of more than 200 seats to take parts in the IDEO Design Thinking Simulation

· The Center awards two monetary prizes to students: one for the best master thesis and one for the best entrepreneurship projects (more on those in a different post).

· Because there are too few Women Entrepreneurs, the Center will launch an award for Women Entrepreneurs/Innovators.

Bridging worlds: The Center connects the academic world (students and researchers) with the Innovation & Entrepreneurship ecosystem through projects and institutional partnerships.

• The Center has a partnership with Startup Lisboa, to facilitate the link between the students and their incubator program.
• The Center also connects the students with international partners: X-Entrepreneurship at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, and TheHive by Gvahim, accelerator in Tel Aviv in Israel.

Overall, the Center is a bridge between the entrepreneurship courses at the school and national and international incubators/partners.

2. What happened at the Launch event

Patrick Drahi and Graziella Drahi (from the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation) unveiled the plaque of the Center @ Catolica Lisbon.

Graziella Drahi from the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation spoke on behalf of the family foundation. She shared the attachment of her family to Portugal, particularly after having discovered Portuguese roots (from the Middle Ages). She explained how this project is integrated in the family spirit to prepare a better world for the future, a world of knowledge and tolerance. The Patrick and Lina Drahi foundation was created to support programs around the following areas: Research and Health; Science and Technology; Social Projects; and Arts.

Graziella expressed her confidence in the Center to create a leading hub of innovation and entrepreneurship in Portugal and to attract outstanding students from abroad. She concluded that Center is complementary to the other projects supported by the family foundation, such as: the MOOCS and entrepreneurship center in France, Israel and Switzerland.

The second part of the ceremony was about students, their great works and two prizes awarded by the CTIE. I will tell you more about that in the next post!

Article by Celine Abecassis Moedas originally published here!