Oeiras Pole Communication, Events and Partnerships Office (NCEP)

The first edition of the PIC Challenge Day took place on June 25 at Técnico’s Oeiras campus, showcasing the top projects developed by final-year students of the Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and Management (LEGI). The event aimed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, encouraging knowledge sharing, innovation, and critical thinking.

According to Professor Tânia Pinto Varela, coordinator of the degree, “this is an event happening for the first time, and we hope it will grow stronger in the coming years.” She also highlighted the diversity of the projects: “the work is very broad in scope. You’ll find yourselves dealing with theoretical, strategic, and applied topics, developed within companies or service contexts, with great variety.”

The selected teams were chosen based on the quality and impact of their semester-long projects, developed under the first-cycle curricular unit Integrative Project (PIC 1). At the event, students delivered 10-minute pitches followed by 10-minute Q&A sessions with the jury, composed of representatives from Kearney (Eng. Gustavo Oliveira) and Kaizen Institute (Eng. Pedro Pereira), as well as LEGI faculty. While the jury deliberated, attendees participated in a coffee break and networking session before the winning team was announced.

In addition to student presentations, the jury shared valuable insights on real-world challenges in innovation, strategy, and continuous improvement, encouraging students to develop practical and market-relevant solutions.

The projects presented reflected a wide range of themes and real-world applications:

• Group 2: “Why do I wait when I have an outpatient appointment at CUF, and how to fix it?”
  In partnership with the CUF healthcare group, the project identified the main causes of outpatient appointment delays. The team proposed innovative solutions, including financial dashboards and predictive models for consultation durations, aiming to improve efficiency and punctuality in patient care.
• Group 4: “What are the key requirements for companies to succeed in bidding for and operating offshore wind projects in Portugal?”
  Developed in collaboration with A.T. Kearney Portugal, this project analyzed the key success factors for companies entering Portugal’s offshore wind energy market, including technical, economic, logistical, and regulatory aspects.
• Group 8: “Optimization and Standardization Study of a Workstation in Terms of Safety, Ergonomics and Productivity”
  Conducted at the company MCG – Manuel Conceição Graça, this project focused on the ergonomic evaluation of three industrial workstations using the REBA method. The team proposed improvement measures with direct impact on workers’ safety, comfort, and productivity.
  Group 8 was named the winner of this first edition of the PIC Challenge Day, standing out for the quality of their analysis, applicability of solutions, and clarity of presentation.

  Carolina Nunes, finalist and member of the winning team, shared: “We really enjoyed it. It’s important to realize that the final goal is the presentation. Ours went very well, it had a clear storyline, and our professor prepared us really well. She added, “the challenge was very motivating and interesting.”

  Fellow teammate Beatriz Tomé emphasized the variety of topics addressed: “It was really interesting that the projects had such diversity—we didn’t just focus on consulting, we also tackled industry and more abstract topics like culture. It pushed us beyond the usual coursework and helped us train for the real world.” She concluded, “I really liked the experience—even if a bit stressful at times, it was fun.”

• Group 9: “Comparison and Diagnosis of the Life Cycles of Two Air Filters – SIMIACCI Case Study”
  Part of the European SIMIACCI project, this team compared the environmental performance of HEPA and MERV-13 filters using life cycle analysis (LCA), contributing to the development of more sustainable filtration solutions for GLAM institutions.
• Group 14: “Creative and Cultural Industries: A State-of-the-Art Review with a Critical Analysis of the Portuguese Context”
  This project involved a systematic literature review on the role of creative and cultural industries (CCI) in sustainable socioeconomic development. It included a critical analysis of the Portuguese context, highlighting both opportunities and structural challenges within the sector.

Tomás Carvalho, another participating student, reflected: “I thought it was a cool initiative—it gave more feedback to the groups, encouraged competition, and motivated everyone to do their best to be among the selected teams.” He also noted, “it’s great for companies to come and see what is being done in the industrial engineering degree. Presenting in front of so many people was a challenge, especially on Day 2—I was a bit nervous. You only get 10 minutes to deliver as much information as possible, very fast. But it was great. We trained well and did a solid job throughout the semester, so it was a fantastic experience.”

The PIC Challenge Day affirmed Técnico’s ongoing commitment to interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, and real-world impact—connecting students with industry and showcasing academic excellence through applied innovation.