On Friday, October 24, the University of Minho officially launched the renovation of the Castle Building in Braga, which will house the new home of UMinhoExec – Executive Training School, led by the School of Economics, Management, and Political Science (EEG). The “first tile” ceremony marked the beginning of a project representing a total investment of nine million euros, of which five million are financed by Portugal 2030, through CCDR-N, and four million are provided by the Braga City Council and the 20 companies and institutions associated with UMinhoExec.
The symbolic act featured speeches by Luís Aguiar-Conraria, President of the School of Economics, Management, and Political Science at UMinho, André Fontes, Professor at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design, Graça Coelho, CEO of Cachapuz Bilanciai Group, António Cunha, President of CCDR-N, Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga, and Rui Vieira de Castro, Rector of the University of Minho.
In his speech, Luís Aguiar-Conraria highlighted the transformative nature of the project, emphasizing that “this is the place where we use the past to transform the future,” evoking the symbolism of rehabilitating a historic and degraded building to convert it into a nationally renowned school for executive training. The President of EEG also praised the role of all previous presidents of the School and directors of UMinhoExec, as well as the entrepreneurs who accepted the challenge of becoming members, reinforcing that “UMinhoExec is a congregation of wills between academia, companies, and public institutions.”
Among the 20 founding members are leading companies and entities such as dstgroup, Torrestir, Bragalux, Cachapuz, Impetus, Onires, IBG Europe, Mecwide, SC Braga, Grupo Casais, Officetotal Food Brands, Banco Carregosa, Grupo Érre, Navarra, HUB7, Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados, Petrotec, PwC, Silsa Confecções, and nBanks.
The renovation of the Castle Building has profound symbolic and urban value. Located in the heart of Braga, the building stands on the site of the city's old castle and has, throughout history, housed institutions such as the Braga Industrial School, the Alberto Sampaio Secondary School, and services of the Autonomous Road Authority and the University of Minho itself. The project thus recovers a historical and identity heritage, returning it to the city and transforming it into a center of knowledge, innovation, and connection between the university and the business community.
Created in 2014 by the School of Economics, Management, and Political Science, UMinhoExec now has more than 6,000 graduates and 160 training programs in areas such as Management, Human Resources, Public Administration, Marketing, Strategy, and Public Procurement. With programs developed in partnership with institutions such as Caixa Geral de Depósitos, the Social Security Institute, and the Tax Authority, UMinhoExec has affirmed its contribution to the qualification of managers and senior executives, combining academic excellence and connection to the business world.
The new headquarters, in the Castelo Building, will allow the University of Minho to deepen its relationship with the city of Braga and with the economic fabric of the north of the country, reinforcing the role of EEG and UMinhoExec as hubs of innovation, advanced training, and human capital development.
