The University of Algarve (UAlg), founded in 1979, is a
Portuguese public higher education institution located in the southernmost region of mainland
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, the
Algarve
The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese).
The region has it ...
, having its headquarters and two out of its three campuses in
Faro (namely the Gambelas and Penha) and another campus in
Portimão
Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...
.
History
Founded on 16 January 1979 when its foundation was voted in the
Portuguese Parliament
The Assembly of the Republic (Portuguese: ''Assembleia da República'', ), commonly referred to as simply Parliament (Portuguese: ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral parliament of Portugal. According to the Constitution of Portugal, the parliament ...
, the University of Algarve results from the union of two preexisting institutions, the University of Algarve (created by Law number 11/79 from 28 March 1979) and the Polytechnic Institute of Faro (created by Law 513-T/79 from 26 December 1979), which makes it somewhat different from most universities given that colleges and schools (university ''faculdades'' and polytechnic ''escolas superiores'') of both systems, co-exist, and it was also the only Portuguese university created by law. In 1982, the first rector of the university, Gomes Guerreiro (1982-1986) was appointed, followed by Lloyd Braga (1986-1990), Montalvão Marques (1990-1993), Alte da Veiga (1993-1997), Adriano Pimpão (1998-2006), João Guerreiro (2006-2013), António Branco, rector since 2013, followed by Paulo Águas. Following the approval of the Universities Autonomy Law, the Assembly of the University of the Algarve, comprising the representatives of academic and administrative staff and students of all the faculties and schools, approved the Statutes in 1991, which received approval by the Ministry of Education. In 2001, the first University Statute amendment was published in the Portuguese government official gazette. Since its foundation to the 2010s, the university witnessed a significant growth in terms of student population, modern facilities and the quality and diversity of programs on offer. The
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
of the state funded University of Algarve opened its doors to its first 32 new students in September 2009.
Mission, vision and purpose
The mission of the University of Algarve is to build and nurture a community that advocates and creates
market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
-oriented,
value creation
In marketing, a company’s value proposition is the full mix of benefits or economic value which it promises to deliver to the current and future customers (i.e., a market segment) who will buy their products and/or services. It is part of a com ...
-focused opportunities for the academic excellence, professional growth, and advancement of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the community at large. The university student population is close to 9,000 and operates over 40 graduate and 68 postgraduate programs (approximately 52 MSc and 16 PhD), counting with around 700 permanent teaching and research staff that developed a significant number of research projects and
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
, enhanced also by both the research work produced by more than 120
fellowship grant holders focused on
R&D&I and the university
business incubator
Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture ca ...
which is a source for entrepreneurial business assistance and
seed funding
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' su ...
for the development of
startup companies
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...
. UAlg receives international students from more than 70 countries totaling over 18% of its student population. The quality and diversity of European masters and doctorates, combined with graduate and post-graduate courses open to students from all over the world justify the magnitude of this mobility. It is an important center for cultural, scientific and technological development, with strong regional, national and international ties, offering students the opportunity to explore various careers as they gain transferable skills. The scientific groundwork of the University of Algarve is developed around four main areas (sea, health, food and well-being, arts and heritage and tourism) that aggregate all research work aiming that innovative ideas can be turned into
products
Product may refer to:
Business
* Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem.
* Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution
Mathematics
* Produ ...
contributing to the
economy of Portugal
The economy of Portugal is ranked 34th in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report for 2019. The great majority of the international trade is done within the European Union (EU), whose countries received 72.8% of the Portuguese ex ...
and
the region. Among its faculty and alumni activities, the University of Algarve has well-established research centers in several fields such as molecular and structural biomedicine; marine sciences; electronics, optoelectronics and telecommunications, arts and communication; spatial and organisational dynamics; marine and environmental; and chemistry. The University of Algarve has consolidated the link established with regional business and public and private organizations, encouraging the transfer of knowledge and contributing to sustainable development with an impact across the community.
Cultural and sports activities
The Student Union of the University of Algarve
Associação Académica da Universidade do Algarve AAUAlg) is a centralized representative body of the students, founded on 1 October 1997. Before then there were six independent smaller student associations at the university representing each school or college of the University of Algarve. Sports activities are under the auspices of the
students' union
A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...
in collaboration with the university and the Student Support and Welfare Services. UAlg students run a
university radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...
station as well as a
theatrical troupe
Theatrical troupe ( French: ''troupe''), sometimes referred to as an acting company, is a group of theatrical performers working together. They may work in repertory other types of theatres, and may take performances on tour. They are not the sam ...
. The Students Union Sports Department promotes sports activities from salsa to hip-hop, from tai chi and yoga to bujinkan, from basketball to football. Sports Department of the Student Union activities such as canoeing, windsurfing and sailing are free of charge for UAlg students at the Nautical Sports Centre at Faro Island (''Centro Náutico da Ilha de Faro''). Competitive sports include handball, women’s futsal, women and men’s volleyball and men’s rugby. Federated teams (district championships) are active in men and women’s basketball, futsal and football. The AAUAlg has also a competitive
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
department.
[AEFEUP é a grande vencedora dos Nacionais eFADU VALORANT ( RTP) https://arena.rtp.pt/aefeup-e-a-grande-vencedora-dos-nacionais-efadu-valorant/]
The Student Union also organises:
* the Semana Académica (Student Academic Week) in May;
* the Sports Festival in September, in the streets of downtown Faro, with exhibitions and workshops on sports activities;
* the Snow Campus, a winter event for skiing and snowboarding;
* the Sports Exchange Programme, with national and international teams;
* the Academic University Sports Federation tournaments, such as the Open Tennis, Volleyball and Beach Rugby tournaments; the Non-Federated National University Championships;
* the University Student Union Mini Half-Marathon.
Portimão branch
The
Portimão
Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...
branch of UAlg, 70 km to the west of Faro's UAlg headquarters, awards degrees in business management and tourism as well as technical specialization courses in accountancy and post-graduation in real estate appraisal & management.
See also
*
List of universities in Portugal
This list of universities and colleges in Portugal gives the Portuguese institutions providing higher education. Higher education in Portugal is organized into two systems: university and polytechnic. There are public and private higher education ...
*
Higher education in Portugal
Higher education in Portugal is divided into two main subsystems: university and polytechnic education. It is provided in autonomous public and private universities, university institutes, polytechnic institutes and higher education institutions ...
External links
University of Algarve (Official)Facebook Universidade do Algarve - Página oficial
References
{{authority control
University of Algarve
Educational institutions established in 1979
1979 establishments in Portugal
Faro, Portugal
Buildings and structures in Faro District