The Porto City Council, within the scope of the Porto Economy Prize, distinguishes three academic dissertations that focus on a topic relevant to the city's economy. The awards ceremony for this 3rd edition took place on 16th April at the Palacete dos Viscondes de Balsemão in Porto. The Councilor for Economy, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Ricardo Valente, attended.
Maria Martins, a student of the management master's degree at the Católica Porto Business School, was one of the night's winners. Her thesis, "Place brand: The case of the Porto. brand", won third place on the podium. "I hope, through the work I developed, that more people can get to know the brand "Porto." and, above all, make it known from an essential perspective: that of the residents who live in the Porto city."
Regarding the award presentation, Maria states: "I feel very happy to be one of the winners of the Porto Economy Prize. Above all, this prize represents recognition for the work I have developed over almost a year, including my thesis dissertation. Being simultaneously studying and working full time during this period, all the support I received from my supervisors was significant and essential for me to finish this chapter lightly."
"It's always a huge source of pride when a student's work is recognized and awarded! And it is proof of the quality of the research that we develop together with our Master's students. We are very happy that Maria's thesis has obtained this important recognition that rewards the development of studies with an impact on the city of Porto!" are the words of the work's supervisors, Joana César Machado and Carla Carvalho Martins, professors at Católica Porto Business School.
The first prize winner was José Pedro Assunção, with a work on "City Branding and the attraction and retention of talent: The case of the city of Porto". The second prize went to Afonso Fonseca, who developed a study on "The level of circularity of urban waste management systems in Portugal: a comparative case study between the metropolitan areas of Porto and Lisbon".
The Porto Economy Prize aims to encourage research applied to the local economy. It allows students, interested parties and researchers to present their perspectives on the region in areas that involve economic development strategies, investment attraction, talent attraction and maintenance, competitiveness, knowledge and innovation networks, entrepreneurship or economic diplomacy.
Fotografias de Andreia Merca / CM Porto