aivancity · Porto Study Tour

Where Innovation
Meets People: Porto Learning Trip · Academic Cooperation with Lusíada University

A week of academic and industry immersion in Porto, taking in university labs, tech giants, and startups, focusing on data, applied AI, and Society 5.0.

Porto · Famalicão · Matosinhos Data & AI Society 5.0 Robotics E-commerce & Tech
5
Days
3
Cities
4
Tech Companies
1
Academic Partner

Explore

 
The Learning Trip

Understanding the Portuguese tech ecosystem
: An Inside Look

An academic cooperation program that combines classes and lectures with visits to laboratories and companies, focusing on data and applied artificial intelligence, in partnership with a renowned Portuguese university.

Every year, aivancity organizes this Learning Trip in partnership withLusíada University, at its Porto and Famalicão campuses, in collaboration with its Faculty of Engineering (FET) and Faculty of Economics and Management (FCEE), as part of the MSc in Data Management program.

Unlike a typical study tour, this program combines lectures, workshops, and lab visits (mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering) with visits to leading tech companies, all centered around data, applied AI, and Society 5.0.

In addition, there will be meetings with a variety of players in the ecosystem: a digital center run by a major industrial group (Volkswagen Digital Solutions), a robotics company (ESI Robotics), an innovation startup (Casas em Movimento), and a global leader in luxury e-commerce (Farfetch).

What each edition includes
4+
Conferences and Workshops
4
Tech Companies Visited
2
University Campuses
1
Theme: Society 5.0
Why Porto

What the Portuguese "
" ecosystem Teaches Us About Technology and People

Porto is establishing itself as a European technology hub where major corporations, startups, and universities collaborate, with a vision of technology that keeps people at the center.

01
Porto, a Growing European Tech Hub
A city that attracts R&D centers from major corporations, startups, and top talent, within an accessible European setting.
02
Society 5.0: People at the Heart of Technology
A vision of digital transformation that places people at the center of industrial processes—the central theme of the visit.
03
Data and AI at an Industrial Scale
At Volkswagen Digital Solutions, model training and data pipelines are designed on a global group scale.
04
Robotics and Automation
ESI Robotics demonstrates the entire process, from custom prototyping to collecting data from control sensors.
05
From Startup to Global Leader
From Casas em Movimento to Farfetch, students are tackling entrepreneurial prototyping and a global-scale technology platform.
06
A European Academic Partnership
The partnership with Lusíada University anchors the program within a concrete academic exchange between France and Portugal.
 

Feedback

 

2026 Edition
Porto · Famalicão · Matosinhos

Five days of university campus visits, tours of tech companies, and conferences focused on data, applied AI, and Society 5.0. The program, participating institutions, and speakers for the Class of 2026.

The speakers, lectures, and companies visited vary each year depending on current partnerships
Program · 2026 Edition

5 Days Bridging Academia, Industry
, and Innovation

From the Lusíada University campus to the headquarters of Volkswagen Digital Solutions and Farfetch, via ESI Robotics and Casas em Movimento: a journey that bridges academic research and the realities of industry.

 
Phase 1Day 1 · Porto
Universities & Industrial Data
Welcome to Lusíada University
Welcome (Rui Silva, Fernando Cardoso, Gwendalina Caldarini), presentation of research areas, and tour of the Porto campus.
Volkswagen Digital Solutions
Training Machine Learning Models and Data Pipelines at Industrial Scale (Prof. Paulo Ramos).
 
Phase 2Days 2 & 3 · Famalicão
Laboratories, Society 5.0 & Robotics
Engineering Labs & Conferences
Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering (Prof. António Araújo).
Society 5.0 Conference
Engineering and Technological Innovation in Society 5.0, featuring speakers from the industry.
ESI Robotics & AI Marketing Trends
Automation Robotics (Prof. Joel Vaz) and the FCEE conference on agent-based AI and data ethics.
 
Phase 3Day 4 · Porto & Matosinhos
Entrepreneurship & E-commerce
Homes in Motion
Prototyping and iterative improvement, from both a technical and business perspective.
Farfetch
Platform developments, the role of the teams, and practical applications of AI, with the VP of Technology.
 
Phase 4Day 5 · Porto
Exploring the City
Exploring Porto
A free day to explore Porto and its heritage, to wrap up the trip.
Gallery · 2026 Edition

Immersion in Pictures

Three highlights from the Class of 2026 in Porto.

The aivancity 2026 Program in Portugal, Learning Trip to Porto
The Class of 2026 in Portugal
Aivancity Group on the Lusíada University campus in Porto, Learning Trip 2026
On the Lusíada University campus
Meetings and Discussions at Lusíada University, Learning Trip Porto 2026
Meetings and Discussions at Lusíada University
Institutions · 2026 Edition

The institutions that made an impressionon
in this edition

Five representative institutions for the 2026 edition: academia, industry, robotics, startups, and e-commerce. The program varies each year depending on current partnerships.

Academic Partner
Lusíada University (Porto & Famalicão)
The host university for the Learning Trip, with its School of Engineering (FET) and School of Economics and Management (FCEE). Lectures, workshops, and lab tours across two campuses, including the Society 5.0 lecture.
Data & Industrial AI
Volkswagen Digital Solutions
The Volkswagen Group's digital center in Porto. Development of data solutions, training of machine learning models, and data pipelines at an industrial scale.
Robotics & Automation
ESI Robotics
Designer of custom automation robots. Overview of the entire process, from customer-specific prototypes to sensor data collection protocols.
Innovation & Prototyping
Homes in Motion
An innovation startup where product managers presented their prototyping and iterative improvement process, at the intersection of technology and business.
E-commerce & AI
Farfetch
The global leader in luxury e-commerce. The VP of Technology outlined the platform’s evolution, the role of the teams, and the practical applications of AI.
Speakers · 2026 Edition

Speakers
, in this edition

The representatives from Lusíada University whom we met throughout the week, as well as the support provided by aivancity.

Speakers & Support
RS
Rui Silva
Class Welcome, Lusíada Porto
FC
Fernando Cardoso
Class Welcome, Lusíada Porto
PR
Prof. Paulo Ramos
Volkswagen Digital Solutions Day
AA
Prof. António Araújo
Engineering Conference, Famalicão
JV
Prof. Joel Vaz
ESI Robotics and Conferences, Famalicão
GC
Gwendalina Caldarini
Program Director for the MSc in Data Management, aivancity
Highlights of this edition
📊
Data and AI at an Industrial ScaleAt Volkswagen Digital Solutions, data models and pipelines designed for a global corporation.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
Society 5.0: People at the Heart of TechnologyA human-centered digital transformation—the central theme of the event.
🤖
From Robotics to EntrepreneurshipFrom ESI Robotics to Casas em Movimento: A Real-World Look at Innovation.
🛍️
A Global Leader from the InsideAt Farfetch: The Role of Teams and Real-World Use Cases for AI at Scale.