On April 21st, APESP held a series of sharing and reflection sessions preceding its General Assembly, bringing together leaders of founding entities at the Hélder Pita Auditorium at ISEC Lisboa, which hosted the meeting.
The session began with opening remarks from António Almeida-Dias, President of APESP, and Cristina Ventura, President of APESP’s Polytechnic College, who welcomed the attendees and framed the presentation program.
The first segment was led by Joaquim Mourato, President of the Institute for Higher Education (IES, I.P.), accompanied by Andreia Godinho Lopes, head of the IES Student Support area, focusing on the reform of social support for students. The presented proposal is based on the decentralization of scholarship analysis processes to higher education institutions, promoting greater proximity to students, faster decision-making, and reinforced data protection, within a model oriented toward academic success, equity, and efficiency, under State supervision.
This was followed by an intervention by José Queirós de Almeida, CEO of Greenvolt Comunidades, centered on environmental sustainability and energy communities, and the importance of adopting renewable energy within educational institutions.
The final segment before the General Assembly featured Carla Gonçalves Pereira, Executive Director of the Society for Applied Innovation in Sustainability (SInASE), who presented the European Union Financing Strategy. She highlighted opportunities under Portugal 2030, participation in European projects and consortia, as well as perspectives for the next financial framework (2028–2034).
Each intervention was followed by a Q&A period, allowing for the clarification of doubts and the sharing of perspectives among participants.
Following this phase, the APESP General Assembly took place, chaired by João Redondo, followed by a meeting of higher education cooperative leaders and a meeting of the association’s Board of Directors.
APESP thus reaffirms its commitment to the enhancement of Private Higher Education, promoting dialogue, knowledge sharing, and the development of strategic solutions for the sector.
