On February 29, Fidelidade, a member of the Técnico Partner Network, recognised Técnico students with two Merit Awards. Francisco Silva, a master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering , won the FIDAWARD IN Deep Learning 2023/2024 Merit Award, for his presentation on user-based insurance, a way of determining insurance premiums based on driver behaviour. The student thanked for the award, worth 1,750 euros, and stressed that he was pleased that his efforts had been recognised. “I can’t wait to continue my journey at Técnico” he said. The FIDAWARD IN Computer Science and Engineering Merit Award 2022/2023, worth 2,500 euros, was awarded to the student with the best academic performance in the Master’s Programme in Computer Science and Engineering, Susana Monteiro. “I’m very happy to have received this award, which rounds off the five years I spent at Técnico in the best possible way. It’s been five years of hard work and dedication, and it’s great to see my work recognised by the school and by Fidelidade”, she said.

During the ceremony, Pedro Amaral, Vice-president of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, thanked Fidelidade for the partnership, the professors and departments involved in both awards, and the students for pursuing excellence in their academic journey. “Life at the School is centred on our community, who are the heartbeat of Técnico.”

Isabel Dias, the Vice-president of Técnico for Financial Management, emphasised the dynamics of students and companies, “this student-business collaboration and the link that remains for the future is important, it’s a motivation for our students”. “You are our future”, she concluded.

Rosa Mimoso, Head of Business Delivery at Fidelidade Insurance Group and also Técnico alumna, highlighted “the deep relationship” between Técnico and Fildelidade, “fuelled by a common passion: innovation”. “We need this strong link between the academic world and the business world because that’s the only way we’ll be able to make a positive contribution to society”, she said.

The ceremony continued with the presentations of the four award finalists: André Valente Caseiro and Francisca Silva, both master’s students in Computer Science and Engineering, and Francisco Silva and José Lopes, master’s students in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The initiative also included a donation to improve teaching and learning conditions of the Deep Learning curricular unit, to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC). The Heads of departments stressed the importance of these partnerships. José Santos-Victor, Head of DEEC, pointed out “these activities and initiatives motivate our students and recognise their effort”. “I would also like to congratulate the professors of the Curricular Unit for arousing the curiosity of our students, and thank the Business Partnerships Unit for helping to organise these initiatives”. Miguel Pupo Correia, President of DEI, thanked Fidelidade “for supporting our students and our teaching”.

The award also comprises a donation of €1660 to improve teaching and learning conditions, awarded to the coordinator of the Master’s programme in Computer Science and Engineering (MEIC) Pedro Monteiro, who thanked Fidelidade for awarding this prize.