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UMINHO - University of Minho
The University of Minho (UMinho), founded in 1973, began its academic activity in 1975/76. UMinho is renowned for the quality of its teaching, the quality of its students, the public recognition given to its Alumni, and for its intervention and strong links with the local community and the surrounding region. Throughout the years the University has achieved a high reputation as an institution of learning and leadership, combining strategic vision with a capacity to innovate, and rigorous scientific, academic, administrative and financial management.
Since the beginning, the University of Minho has adopted an organisational model based on a matrix system of “project groups” and management, which involves the project groups and organic units working together according to strict objectives. The projects are defined as organised activities of teaching (teaching projects or courses), research, and specialised services orientated to serve the purposes of the University. The organic units are the centres of human and material resources, on which the development of all the University’s projects depends. These projects can, according to their specific objectives, take the form of schools, cultural units, or services.
The interaction between the projects and the organic, or resource, units provides the configuration of the matrix management model. Not formally equivalents, projects and organic units comprise differentiated management structures, given that the development and success of each project frequently requires various organic units being simultaneously involved.
The University is committed to several projects in purely national programmes and to many projects supported by international frameworks, namely the European Union’s. UMinho has a long and soundbased experience in coordinating and participating in several European programmes and initiatives.
Within the field of the Research and Development supported by the European Community the University participates in 46 projects under the VI Framework Program of R&DT, of which 10 are coordinated by University of Minho (1 Network of Excellence - NoE, 4 Specific Targeted Research Projects - STREP, 1 CRAFT, 3 Marie Curie Actions e 1 Scientific Support Actions - SSA). For the 7 Framework Programme, UMinho intends to reinforce its position at both levels, as participant and coordinator. At national level, UMinho has more than 257 projects running.
Since 2000 the Dep. of Biology – University of Minho together with the Portuguese Wildlife Society have started a research line dedicated to marine animals. One of the most important projects of this joint research cooperation is dedicated to the conservation and management of small cetaceans, especially harbour porpoise, in a coastal area in the central part of Portugal (studying diet, distribution, abundance, behaviour, causes of death, accumulation of pollutants, etc). In this area, the two institutions are responsible for a field station. Besides research, this field station is the ground base of stranding response team that acts every time that a stranded animal is found on the coast. This team works with dead strandings and with live strandings. Because of the live strandings, recently it was built a rehabilitation centre for marine animals such as marine birds, sea turtles and marine animals.
Last Modified: 28/08/2009
