The mission of the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC), founded in 1980, is centred on harmonious human development.
The creation and management of knowledge and culture, research, science, technology and art. The creation and management of knowledge and culture, research, science, technology and art. To fulfil its mission, it has an integrated organizational structure of Schools united in the same mission. The Schools’ geographical dispersion facilitates the commitment to the region’s sustainable development, and their dimension allows the proximity of professors and students in a relationship that stimulates personal and professional development.
IPVC includes six Schools and offers 40 Undergraduate, 34 Master and 21 Postgraduate specialized courses and has protocols with 111 educational international institutions related to European and global exchange programs (Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Comenius and Leonardo da Vinci).
IPVC has a certified Quality Management System (ISO 9001), regarding Education, R&D activities and Supporting Processes.
The institution includes research units and an Office of Technology, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer (OTIC) which develops several national and international R&D projects (FP6, FP7, COST, INTERREG, SUDOE, FCT, CYTED, ISEKI).
The R&D capacity is related to high qualified human resources, adequate infrastructures, well-equipped laboratories, a recognized institutional information system and excellent access to bibliographical resources.
IPVC is/was a coordinator and partner in several projects related to Environmental Systems Analysis, spatial analysis and modelling, Remote Sensing and Image Processing, WebGIS collaborative platforms, Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Data Infrastructures, financed by national and EU funds as well as private partners.
