Challenge today
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SDG-Challenge Portugal

The mission of the SDG-Challenge is to connect and mobilize students and organisations to work together on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). These goals include 17 essential improvement areas to a more sustainable, fair and peaceful future.

During the SDG-Challenge Portugal, multidisciplinary student teams from Dutch and Portuguese universities join forces to come up with innovative solutions to urgent challenges shared for many rural areas in Europe.

This project is built in collaboration with QXote, a company dedicated to knowledge exchange for purpose development in Alentejo-PT. The SDG Challenge Portugal is aimed at connecting academic knowledge with practical expertise. The fresh perspectives of students help local organizations deal with the changing climate, social, and economic issues. This mission is endorsed and supported by organizations like the Dutch Embassy in Portugal and the Câmara Municipal de Mértola, along with partner businesses from both the Netherlands and Portugal. These entities assist students in developing solutions by sharing their expertise and best practices.

The organization of the SDG-Challenge developed a special "pressure-cooker", during which the teams will come up with tangible and actionable ideas that contribute to one or multiple SDGs. All these insightful ideas are presented in a spectacular final event, at the Castelo de Mértola, where the student teams will present their solution to a jury of professional experts, inspiring each other and the country.

2024 Jury & criteria

Throughout the challenge, the teams are encouraged to develop their ideas into realistic well-founded solutions with a goal of creating a better future. The evaluation of integrated elements will include the following criteria: short- and long term impact on the SDGs, innovativeness and originality, sustainability, technical feasibility, scalability and economic viability.

Tim

Tim Vieira

Presidential candidate 2026 and founder of Brave new generation

Pedro

Pedro Mateus das Neves

Global Solutions 4U Founder, University Professor and Researcher specialized in the SDGs

Susana

Susana Filipe

University of Évora and Executive Director of the Global Change and Sustainability Institute

Local challenge owners, teams & supporting partners

Here they are: the local challenge owners in Portugal and the business partners that have committed themselves to helping these organisations.

Click on the partner logo to find our more about the company and their challenge.

SELECTION OF PREVIOUS PARTNERS

HOW IT WORKS

Students will start off with an online kick-off getting to know each other and the challenge they will face during the competition.

To gain more knowledge, students will move towards an online knowledge week where they will learn more about the SDGs. To gain practical experience during the sprint week, the teams will be guided putting their ideas into action while being in Portugal and making several visits to the local challenge owners.

At the end of the program, a spectacular finale will occur, during which the student consultant team will pitch their solution to an expert jury. This event will be live-streamed.

Registration phase
April 15th - Augustus 10th

Recruitment of students
Selection of challenge owners
Selection of supporting partners

Hybrid phase

Hybrid phase
September 2024

Kick-off (Online): 10-09-2024
Knowledge week: September 16th - 20th

Sprint week

Sprint week (on site)
29th September - 5th October 2024

Finals: 4th October @ Castelo de Mértola

“It is important that we keep focus on the SDG’s, all these initiatives are really important to get our goals in 2030.”

- Margriet Leemhuis, Ambassador Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands in Portugal