Comunica UPT: After 46 years devoted to public higher education and after having been Rector of the University of Porto (2014-2018) and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (2010-2014), what led you to accept the challenge of becoming Rector of Universidade Portucalense?
Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo: Essentially two reasons led me to accept this challenge: an alignment of visions regarding the paths for the future of the university and personal motivation. Let me explain further: Armando Jorge de Carvalho, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, called me to talk about this idea, this challenge. Due to the respect I had for Professor Armando Jorge, the result of several moments of professional contacts not long ago, I gladly accepted to talk. I realized that the ideas and the strategic lines for the development of Portucalense that he conveyed to me were in line with my own ideas about the mission of universities, higher education, and science. No less relevant, and on a strictly personal level, there was obviously my great motivation to continue to work actively, at a conceptual and executive level, in what I consider to be a public service, in this case provided by a private institution, in areas I worked on all my life - higher education and science, vital for our collective future. I thought about it, accepted the offer, and signed the contract on November 14th, 2019.

You have already mentioned that this decision stems from the awareness of a sense of mission. What sense of mission brought you here, and what is the mission you accepted to fulfil?
Completing what I said, my sense of mission is equally simple: I think that every human being, beyond their right to personal happiness, has an obligation to serve society and humanity, within his capabilities. With this idea, with the goal of strengthening my personal fulfilment and out of an obligation to serve society, I accepted the challenge. And what mission did I accept to fulfil? The one of helping to advance Portucalense in all aspects that characterize the mission of universities.

What specific areas will you focus your attention on as Rector?
I will intervene in all areas that characterize the life of a university. There is an idea behind the origin of universities, that the primary purpose of them is to serve society by educating its children, i.e., young students. That idea is right. Obviously, without students, there is no university. It is also right to say that university is the place par excellence for the production of knowledge and the debate of ideas. However, one should not have a narrow interpretation of what I just said. Nowadays, the necessary holistic vision of the mission of Academia implies bringing on board an important set of aspects that, as a whole, constitute a third pillar of the university building, the ‘Third Mission’ of university. In this set, the very important social and political concern of valuing knowledge is paramount, but there are also other demands for the modern university’s policies. These are social policies, particularly for supporting members of the community who are in need and volunteering actions, and policies to promote cultural and associative activities, such as those for promoting sport, important for all and very important for young people. We also have to make ethics prevail in all our social and professional relationships. This has always been important but nowadays it is dominated by the threat of life biology technologies, plagiarism, and ‘fake news’. We have to encourage the development of entrepreneurial skills. Finally, we must cultivate our international relations and our relationship with the cultural, social, economic, and industrial fabric. International relations are fundamental in this ‘shrunken’ world, which has demands for quality and the perception of multiculturalism. Our internal relations, in the country, with central government, with municipalities, with public and private institutions, with social action, culture and industry, are a requirement of our existence. José de Letamendei, a 19th century Spanish physician and academic, expressed this famous idea: “El médico que sólo medicina sabe, ni medicina sabe” (the physician who only knows about medicine does not even know about medicine). This idea must be seen as fundamental in all areas and educational backgrounds. Nowadays we have to provide a global education, that includes values as well as the scientific, technical, or artistic knowledge that characterize each area. Only in this vision and in this global environment will we be able to raise our level of quality in education, in the production of knowledge, in the ‘Third Mission’ of the university. Only then will we be competitive. Only then will we survive. When I talk about all universities in this abstract way, I am obviously talking about Universidade Portucalense.

Research, pedagogical innovation, and internationalization are three pillars you consider fundamental for the future of Universidade Portucalense. Are new projects foreseen in these three spheres? Can you talk about them?
Well, I’ll accept to talk about these three specific topics, not forgetting the relevance of all aspects of our mission that I identified. And, specifically, it is absolutely necessary to make it clear that the path of the future will be made as we move along, in harmony and close articulation with the Administration, and with the effort and contribution of all. We have to strengthen research, for all the reasons. First of all due to legal requirements, but also because, in fact, there is no university without research. It seems clear to me that we will have to revisit the functional placement of teachers, in order to give more time from their contractual obligations to those who are involved in Research & Development activities. We will have to look for new doctoral programs, either internally or in cooperation with other institutions. As it will be necessary to create more effective support conditions for initiatives for external, national, and international cooperation, for fundraising by our researchers. I intend to strongly promote discussion on pedagogical innovation, which is important in the academic component, particularly considering its attractiveness for those who are here and for new audiences, but also with an impact on research. I hope that we will be able collectively to promote an interesting and necessary reform. I have said, and I say it again, that pedagogical innovation is the great challenge of universities today. Currently, all around the world, we are seeing a wave of revisiting the structure of supply and the methods of training models. We have the knowledge and the conditions to move in that direction. And there will be three major objectives to be achieved: making the programs more flexible and attractive to the motivations, drives, and skills of young people, in which I include giving young people much greater responsibility for their learning, placing them at the centre of the training process; in conjunction with the previous objective, to bring into the learning process the technological means available in the digital society in which we are already living; to free up time for those teachers who are engaged in research, in producing knowledge.

Although you only took office as Rector two months ago, what is your assessment of Universidade Portucalense?
It's a University! By this I mean that I recognize the necessary skills, of human resources but also of structure and organization, to play an important role for Portugal, thinking about the mission objectives I identified above.

What distinctive and inspiring features have you found here?
I would not qualify what I perceived in these two and a half months as distinctive and inspiring. I would qualify it as a capable faculty, with a university spirit open to modernity, and a very healthy student environment.

One year from now, what would like Universidade Portucalense to be like?
I would like to see the professional and student community engaged in an evolution cycle adapted to our time. I would like that evolutionary process to be felt, stressing once again that we have an immense way to go, a path we will tread realistically, according to our capabilities, but which will be made as a result of our vision and commitment.

What mark do you want to leave?
I don't want to leave any individual mark. I do intend, however, to be associated with Portucalense's progress and feel that, through this institution, I have contributed to Portugal's progress, an objective for which we all have a lot of work to do.

The new students come from Brazil (7), Croatia (7), Spain (5), Latvia (5), Turkey (3), Poland (3), Mexico (3) Italy (3) Czech Republic (3), Greece (2), Hungary (2), Macedonia (2), Romania (2), United States of América (2), Slovenia (1), Bulgaria (1), and Austria (1).

Students will be assigned to the departments of Management and Economics (27), Law (10), Tourism, Culture and Heritage (8), Psychology and Education (6), and Science and Technology (1).

In the first semester, Universidade Portucalense welcomed 98 foreign students, of which 25 will stay for the second semester. Over the past few years, there have been many foreign students who, under the Erasmus programme, took advantage of Universidade Portucalense’s teaching and discovered the city of Porto.

“In a globalized world, marked by constant change, namely technological, it is important to develop professionals with technical skills but also with transversal skills and personal and human qualities that allow them to be highly competitive, able to stand out in the job market and adapt to the constant challenges of innovation and sustainability,” says Ana Conde, one of the lecturers responsible for this initiative, thus justifying the importance of this debate.

“In a technological world, it is urgent to reassess the role of professionals. Human beings are beings of relationships. This is why we need solid relationships with professionals from different areas, capable of mediating our relationship with technique and with the world. In this context, the construction of a professional identity guiding work activity emerges as something relevant, which poses challenges and opportunities for research and for the process of pedagogical innovation”, she adds.

Several guest speakers will analyse these issues, including José António Caride Gomez, lecturer at the University of Santiago de Compostela; Sílvia Azevedo, President of the Association of Higher Technicians of Social Education; Sofia Mendes, of the Order of Psychologists; and Miriam Gonzaga, of the Regional Health Administration of the North of Portugal.

Throughout these days, there will be presentations of work by researchers from INPP - Instituto de Desenvolvimento Humano, the “INPP Lectures Series” initiative will begin, and the first edition of the PhD conferences in Clinical Psychology and Counselling will take place, where doctoral students will present their thesis projects.

Leandro Braga explains that “SDUPT, as provided for in its by-laws, intends to bring competitive and civilized debate into Universidade Portucalense, as well as to promote greater interaction between members of the academic community and help students to break the communication barrier, through participation in debates and tournaments”.

Regarding the objectives set: “to be a part of the National Council for University Debate (within two years), to promote tournaments, both internal and external, to participate in national and international tournaments, and to stimulate student’s taste for competitive university debate”.

SDUPT's activities will start in the second semester, with an information session, a debate course, and two tournaments (one internal and one external).

At the opening of the seminar, Vice-rector Carlos Melo Brito highlighted “trust” as one of the main challenges that virtual currencies face. “Trust is the main asset of any society, and that trust, in the case of currency, is achieved through the institutions that issue currency and the institutions that regulate currency. This is not the case with crypto currencies, so trust is still an asset to be won”.

Since they do not have physical existence and are totally virtual, it is very complex to classify them as currencies, as highlighted by Paulo Duarte, from the Bar Association, João Teles, from CMVM, and Rita Bairros and André Leal, from Banco de Portugal. Despite this constraint, transactions with virtual currencies have grown in the acquisition of goods and services, accompanied by the increase of illegal actions. It appears that there is a greater “ease” in masking actions conducted with the virtual currency, increasing the frequency of these crimes, as revealed by the Inspectors of the Judiciary Police, Ricardo Vieira and Carlos Nunes.

The use of cryptocurrencies in business, as the basis for commercial transactions, was analysed by José Rodrigues de Jesus, President of the Association of Statutory Auditors, Filipe Garcia, of the Order of Economists, and João Antunes, of the Order of Certified Accountants. Finally, the way tax administrations deal with the gains resulting from these crypto-financial assets was a topic addressed by Éderson Porto, lecturer at Unisinos University, and by lawyer Graziela Moraes, both from Brazil.

“This global panorama of cryptocurrencies is an uncontrollable virtual reality, with several layers yet to be discovered, so it was essential to hear expert opinions on this topic, which helped us to clarify questions about this world,” concluded Carlos Rodrigues, one of the lecturers involved in the organization of the seminar.

“Although public procurement is not one of the areas with the highest risk of corruption, it is one of the areas with the most economic and social impact, due to the fact that both companies and citizens want to enjoy a good quality of life, which generates dependence on the State as an driver of that quality,” said UPT lecturer Bárbara Magalhães Bravo.

Over the course of two days, the major challenges facing the control and prevention of corruption in public purchases were analysed and reflections on the proposals for self-control were shared.

It was concluded that “Portugal is slightly below the European average, where transparency and the conflict of interests are constant struggles, in the battle that is going on to improve the disclosure and reporting of these situations”.

In May last year, Cara visited Universidade Portucalense for the first time, to participate in the international conference “Climate change and Wine Tourism - the view of experts on Agriculture, Tourism, and Wine Tourism”, where she presented a paper, as a student of Postdam University, New York. The hospitality she felt at that moment challenged her to learn more about Portuguese culture. Once the opportunity was recognized, she applied for the Erasmus programme and arrived at UPT in September.

She recalls that she found “very welcoming students, very attentive teachers, and a different teaching”. She considers that “Portuguese education addresses practical issues, whereas education in the United States of America focuses more on research, debates, and assessments. In Portugal, the education system prepares students to be successful in the area of work they plan to work on. I think it is a great advantage!”

Integrated in the Tourism degree (3rd year), she did an internship at Quinta do Noval. “I worked with Portuguese colleagues, which was very important for me. I really wanted to learn the language and this opportunity allowed me to learn a lot about the culture and history of Portugal”.

Passionate about Porto, she takes in her heart “the churches, the riverbanks of Vila Nova de Gaia, the Estádio do Dragão and the Aliados” and leaves us with her favourite quote: “A positive attitude can really make dreams come true.”

Comunica UPT: When you decided to study Technologies and Information Systems, what was your dream profession?
Rui Machado: I have always been curious about the various areas of Informatics, namely security, programming, and database management. I ended up building a career in data and artificial intelligence. It was an area that surprised me, not only because of the strong technical component, but because it is close to Management, requiring refined social skills, both to understand the needs of customers and to communicate technical concepts to any audience.

What are your main memories of university?
Without neglecting the memories of colleagues, I recall the proximity of the teachers. This proximity facilitated the learning process for me and increased my motivation to become an IT professional. I also remember that university promoted events with professionals, enabling us to have contact with the labour market, contributing to a better awareness of how the management and implementation of information systems work in reality. I also highlight the experience in an Erasmus programme, in Lithuania, which allowed me, together with colleagues from several countries, to discover “data mining”, an area that I later chose to work on.

This was an essential cycle for your life...
Certainly so! I believe that the culture of proximity together with the knowledge acquired made me become a professional able to respond to any challenge in the area of Information Systems, both in terms of social skills, knowing how to ask the right questions at the right time, and in terms of technical skills, knowing how to make and implement information and decision support systems. The degree prepared us for the job market, not only focusing on technology but also on how organizations and people work. Only by balancing these three dimensions can we build and manage systems that respond efficiently to organizational problems.

What were the main lessons the degree gave you?
The degree has a very strong component of programming, computer networks, and software engineering, so that we can design and build an information system. In addition, it focuses a lot on the component of requirements, change, and project management, with all its agile methodologies, so that we can implement these systems on time, with the expected quality and cost, but also with the right people and organization.

After graduation, how did your career progress?
I worked for companies like DevScope, Primavera, and Alert, and I worked with platforms like BizTalk or MicroStrategy. In 2014, I joined Jumia and, for the next three years, I had the opportunity to learn how to manage people and developed my personality as a leader and decision maker. In 2017, I was at Huub, where I contributed to the creation and development of the Business and Artificial Intelligence department and created ShopAI, a company focused on visual research software, which currently works with some world renowned companies in recommending similar products based on visual characteristics. Last year, I accepted Nike’s challenge and moved to Belgium, where I live with my wife and, in a few weeks, with my newborn daughter.

When and how did this opportunity to work for NIKE arise?
I have always invested a lot in extracurricular activities, such as writing a blog for sharing technical knowledge and participating in conferences, as a speaker or delegate. These activities opened more doors in the job market. Through the work shared on my blog, I was invited to write three technical books in the area of programming and systems integration, which allowed me to show my writing and technical understanding skills. I have always been very dedicated in all my professional experiences, which allowed me to be recognized in the market as a competent and valuable professional. I like to believe that these were the reasons that led Nike Europe to believe in my ability to lead an Engineering Department.

What characteristics do you consider essential to succeed in the current competitive and global job market?
Technical skills are important, but they don't matter if we don't know how to be, communicate, or socialize. It is not enough to be eloquent, friendly, and outgoing if we are unable to materialize what we sell. Thus, it is important to study and be an expert in an area, but it is equally important to develop social skills. In IT, many decisions are made next to a coffee machine, but the system will always be developed on one or more platforms and work on one or more servers, so it is essential to know how to discuss the solution, but also to understand how to implement it and where it will be executed.