Venue

The 14th edition of the Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM) conference will take place from October 20 to 23rd, 2026, at the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP), Porto, Portugal.

Founded in 1852 amid Portugal’s liberal turn, the Escola Industrial do Porto—rooted in “education for development” and hands-on training—evolved through successive reforms into today’s Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP). A major 1864 overhaul split industrial study into shared theoretical schooling and practical work in state workshops or private factories; the school became the Instituto Industrial do Porto. In 1881 it rejected a proposed merger with the Academia Politécnica, affirming a distinct, practice-oriented identity. After decades of national indecision over industrial policy, reforms between 1947 and 1950 positioned Industrial Institutes at the apex of technical education, preparing mid-level engineering agents for immediate industry entry. Decree-Law 830/1974 (31 Dec 1974) converted these institutes into Higher Institutes of Engineering, granting legal personality, autonomy and enabling bachelor’s and licentiate degrees. In 1989, ISEP joined the Polytechnic subsystem, later adopting bi-stage degrees (1998). With the Bologna Process (2006), ISEP restructured into licentiate and master’s programs. After publication of the Decree-Law 16/2023 (10 Apr 2023), allowing Polytechnic institutions awarding doctoral degrees (PhD), ISEP had its first PhD programme starting in 2024. This programme, in Artificial Intelligence, was the first PhD programme in this area in Portugal. With the possibility of conferring PhD degrees, in May 2026, Polytechnic of Porto was integrated in the university system – emerging the Universidade Técnica do Porto.