SET 2025: Oeiras Business and Technology Week
Between 24 and 27 February, the central atrium of the Instituto Superior Técnico Oeiras Campus was once again the stage for SET – Business and Technology Week. The event, organised by students from various courses at the Campus, aimed to bring the academic community closer to the business world, in different sectors of activity.
SET 2025 featured a diverse programme of lectures, workshops and speed interviews, as well as numerous networking opportunities. The event began with the opening speech by the Vice-President of the Instituto Superior Técnico for the Management of the Oeiras Centre, Professor Joana Mendonça. On the same day, the talk ‘How to Turn Ideas into Successful Startups’, given by Marta Bernardino, inspired those present by sharing her idea for developing a robot to help reforestation in Portugal. The workshops included a session by the company Glintt Global, which demystified Low-Code concepts and their application in organisations. Other notable activities included the talk ‘How to Analyse an Investment Opportunity’, led by Tiago Ferreira from Iberis Capital, and the workshop by multinational CGI on the use of Apache Kafka software, used by large companies to process data in real time.
During the four days, various topics were covered. Banco Montepio presented a workshop on transformation and innovation in the banking sector, while consultancy firm Deloitte carried out a cyber-attack simulation, allowing participants to better understand the importance of digital security. The topic of artificial intelligence was also discussed at SET, with the lecture ‘Artificial Intelligence: Shaping the Future, Today’, given by Professor Arlindo Oliveira. Consultants LTPLabs also offered a workshop on forecasting and the application of AI in business. The event ended with a talk by Ana Dias, CFO (Chief Financial Officer), on the secrets of recruitment.
One of the most eagerly awaited moments of the event were the speed interviews, where several students were able to present themselves to recruiters and receive advice on their performance. The dynamic consisted of an 8-minute presentation and interview, followed by 2 minutes of feedback that allowed the students to better prepare themselves for future recruitment processes.
The 2025 edition was attended by several companies, who emphasised the importance of the event. Mariana, from Accenture’s recruitment team, said: ‘We’ve really enjoyed the event, it’s interesting to see so many motivated students looking for opportunities. We’re looking for candidates who are keen to learn and want to explore consultancy’. Rafaela, representing Vodafone, also emphasised the positive impact: ‘SET is an excellent opportunity for us to meet talent. We see a lot of potential candidates for our summer internships.’ Joana Caravela, from Worten, emphasised the importance of the event for publicising the company among students: ‘We want to show that Worten is much more than just shops. We have lots of opportunities for students from different areas of engineering.’
On the student side, Bernardo, a 1st year Master’s student in Artificial Intelligence, shared his experience: ‘SET is a great way of networking and getting to know the labour market. I had contact with companies I already knew and others I’d never heard of, which opened up new possibilities.’ Leonardo Oliveira, a third year LEE and LETI student, commented on the variety of companies and their opportunities: ‘SET is essential for connecting with the business world. I really enjoyed the event and the interaction with the companies.’
‘It was an incredible week, with great involvement from the students and the companies. We had very dynamic activities, such as speed interviews, and fantastic prizes,’ said Tomás Antão, the SET organising team. With this edition, SET reinforces its relevance to the academic community, hoping that the event will continue to grow and provide new opportunities for students and companies in the coming years.