University of Porto Fair (Mostra da Universidade do Porto)

Since 2003, the University of Porto has organized annually the “Mostra”, the University of Porto Fair. This event aims at presenting the diversity of knowledge areas and academic offer of the University to future higher education students, thus stimulating their eagerness for and interest in higher education and research and providing them with support and guidance in their choice of study programs and careers. The fair is also an opportunity to communicate with broader society, making widely known the activities of research centers and postgraduate training programmes, so as to make the common citizen aware of the University’s global action and its relevance for social, technological, cultural, economic and environmental development.

1) Attract young people to HE;
2) Motivate them as regards research;
3) Provide them with vocational support and guidance;
4) Present the knowledge areas and academic offer of U.Porto;
5) Communicate with adult audience, disseminating the activities of research centres and postgraduate training offers;
6) Contribute to the awareness of the common citizen of the University’s relevance for social, technological, cultural, economic and environmental development.

The University of Porto devotes special attention to pre-university students and works with schools from all around the country to develop mechanisms to bring us closer to our potential students.
U.Porto representatives often go to schools in the north and centre of the country for informative sessions and to take part in education fairs that provide information on higher education. We are also happy to visit schools (institutions outside Greater Porto, if logistically feasible) to promote our training offer and provide all necessary information to potential students.
Some U.Porto schools organise their own initiatives. The Faculty of Sciences (FCUP), for example, organises talks for elementary and secondary school students, in an effort to stimulate interest in various scientific fields. Teachers and researchers will visit afterprior booking.
U.Porto’s connection to schools is also reflected in the visits by thousands of students from elementary and secondary schools, who are given the chance to experiment with learning and research every year. Events like Universidade Júnior (Junior University), Mostra da U.Porto (U.Porto on Display) and the Faculty Open Days are an important first visiting card for future students.

Human Resources: Academic community – students, teaching and administrative staff. Physical infrastructures: U.Porto facilities and Porto City Hall exhibition hall.
Communication: Contacts network, media, University’s newsletter, a website, and posters distributed throughout the city of Porto and its metropolitan area; involvement of media, particularly TV and radio broadcasting at national level.
Documentation: educational, information and dissemination materials prepared by U.Porto.

The U.Porto teaching and administrative staff members are in charge of the “institutional area”, presenting the academic offer and providing the necessary clarifications.
Researchers, teaching staff members, students and labs technicians are in charge of the “demonstration area” related to science and technology and provide related information.
Vocational support and guidance is provided by experts of the Faculty of Psychology.
The various cultural societies of U.Porto provide events and activities throughout the entire event as a way of giving the Fair a more cheerful tone and promoting stronger social interaction among the participants and visitors.

The Fair takes place during 4 days, in Porto city.

Since 2003 U.Porto has organized annually the “Mostra”, the University of Porto Fair. This event was considered to be a key element of the new strategy. The “Mostra” was designed to target several stakeholders.
On the one hand, it aims at presenting the diversity of knowledge areas and academic offer of the University to future higher education students, thus stimulating their eagerness for and interest in higher education and research and providing them with support and guidance in their choice of study programs and careers; on the other hand, it is also an opportunity to communicate with broader society, making widely known the activities of research centres and postgraduate training programmes, so as to make the common citizen aware of the University’s global action and its relevance for social, technological, cultural, economic and environmental development.

The initiative has been well received among the targeted audiences.
The 6,500 visitors and the high interest shown in the 1st edition demanded the organization of the 2nd edition in an area with larger capacity to host the event. Throughout its 17 editions, the Fair received around 225.000 visitors.

The results of the Fair have been regularly monitored. This process has resulted in multiple improvements. For instance, following the request of Faculties’ representatives, a new section was created in the Fair in order to better disseminate the Faculties’ academic offer and, therefore, motivate youngsters to choose those courses that were considered to be less appealing. In addition, R&D+I centres also requested new thematic sections to be included in the central area of the Fair (in line with the strategic development fields for the region in science, technology and innovation). Each edition of the Fair was dedicated to a new topic. The satisfaction surveys resulted in including more experimental and leisure activities, providing the visitors
– particularly the youngest ones – with more interaction possibilities. The
close cooperation with the primary and secondary schools allowed us to adapt the schedule of the Fair so that the regular activities of schools were not affected.

The University of Porto was one of the first Portuguese Universities organizing this big exhibition, designed for a target audience with a notable dimension.
The initiative is very interesting because it is able to bring together in a single space, during 4 days the best that the University has to offer.

All Faculties are present in the pavilion of the “Mostra”, offering information about their courses, while departments and research units
seek to motivate young people to get involved in science through interactive activities like clinical tests, technology manipulation or motivation games.

It distinguishes itself from other fairs, due to its scope in terms of target audience, placing in the
same place all the faculties and research institutes. Also all the activities conducted in many different areas are very interactive and sometimes presents the main research projects that are going on into the University

In addition to the information that the University presents about its courses, the fair tries to promote many practical activities, in which the public is invited to participate. There are also several workshops and parallel sessions on more specific topics in which the public can register and interact.

The U.Porto Fair seeks to promote critical thinking and, above all, to contribute to more informed future decisions and also to understand how the University can contribute to the development of our society.

We hope that all participants, students, teachers and families have found an incentive to participate and to strengthen their citizenship and the development of creative and articulated solutions to different problems.

All students and families can participate, even if they are at a disadvantage.
During the Exhibition, it is very common, for example, to have some parallel sessions on how the most disadvantaged families can access scholarships and support to continue the studies. These workshops are carried out by psychologists and technicians from the social services.

Throughout the various editions many of the organized activities/workshops have some connection with the local reality, for example, current problems or strongest research areas linked to the industry.

The strategic plan of U.Porto was defined having in mind its stakeholders. This perspective is a key point for U.Porto’s leadership, meaning that the success of the plan depends on its capacity to meet stakeholders’ expectations. Therefore a strong effort was dedicated to identifying, understanding and engaging stakeholders. In addition to identifying the main groups of stakeholders, this process involved reflecting on each group’s main expectations in relation to U.Porto and selecting those that contributed the most to attaining our Vision.
One obvious group of (internal) stakeholders is the academic community, which includes students, faculty and staff. External stakeholders include various groups: businesses, families, alumni, governmental institutions, cultural institutions, research agencies, international financing bodies and the society at large.

Being open to society is fundamental to university life. The University of Porto is open to anyone who wants to discover and enjoy it. Pre-higher education learners, senior students, and an increasing number of tourists can all find a place at the University, in accordance with its Third Mission.

Internal: U.Porto schools and research centres; Services of the Rectory; University Social Action Services; Associations representative of U.Porto students
External: Primary and secondary school students of Porto and North region. Citizens in general, prospective post-graduate students and students’ parents.

All Faculties are present in the pavilion of the “Mostra”, offering information about their courses, while departments and research units seek to motivate young people to get involved in science through interactive activities like clinical tests, technology manipulation or motivation games. The fair is organized around two separate areas: a central information stand (the institutional area) and many experimental stands (the demonstration area). During four days of information and discovery, visitors of all ages, including primary and secondary education teachers, have the opportunity to participate in many scientific experiments and attend conferences and workshops. The fair is already in its 17th edition and so far it has attracted more than 225,000 visitors.

Human Resources: Coordinator and academic community – students, teaching and administrative staff.

Each edition of the Fair was dedicated to a new topic. The satisfaction surveys resulted in including more experimental and leisure activities, providing the visitors – particularly the youngest ones – with more interaction possibilities. The close cooperation with the primary and secondary schools allowed us
to adapt the schedule of the Fair so that the regular activities of schools were not affected.