The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, visited on Monday, September 22, the site where the future infrastructure of the University of Algarve (UAlg) will be installed in Portimão. The initiative was attended by the President of CCDR Algarve, José Apolinário, the Rector of UAlg, Alexandra Teodósio, and the President of the Municipal Council of Portimão, Álvaro Bila, among other personalities.
The strategic investment aims to strengthen qualifications, promote territorial cohesion, and enhance the Algarve's capacity to respond to economic and social transformations. The visit included the presentation of the «UAlg Horizon 2030» initiative and the signing of an agreement between UAlg and the Municipality of Portimão.
José Apolinário, President of CCDR Algarve, highlighted that "this is an investment in human capital, in people's qualifications. We are talking about opportunities for young people and development capacity for an entire region." Despite the progress made, the Algarve continues to show a structural deficit in higher education qualifications, with the enrollment rate increasing from 18.9% to 25.4% over the last 20 years, compared to the national average's evolution from 27.5% to 42.8%.
The new Campus do Barlavento will allow UAlg to increase its training capacity and diversify its offerings, particularly through Higher Professional Technician Courses (CTeSP) in STEAM areas — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, responding to the needs of an increasingly digital, technological, and green economy. The goal is to ensure that acquired skills meet the demands of the regional economic fabric.
The project integrates a broader investment from the Regional Program ALGARVE 2030, which mobilizes over 10 million euros of European funds to create, expand, and modernize higher education infrastructures in Faro and Portimão, with a total investment exceeding 17 million euros. The operation includes the construction of the Campus do Barlavento building, the new Digital Building at the Gambelas Campus, and the modernization of spaces at the Penha Campus.
José Apolinário emphasized that "growth doesn't just mean having more classrooms. It means having more courses, more students, more connection with companies, more internships, more lifelong learning, and more capacity to respond to the territory's needs." The ALGARVE 2030 program aims to strengthen UAlg's regional presence and contribute to the Algarve's ability to face future challenges.
