Politécnico de Leiria

The academic community of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria includes 1,600 professionals, comprising around 950 faculty members, 60% of whom hold doctoral degrees, and more than 200 researchers. It serves approximately 13,500 students enrolled in Bachelor's and Master's programs, as well as Higher Professional Technical Courses (TeSP), Postgraduate programs, and a PhD in Direct Digital Manufacturing for Polymer and Mold Industries, in partnership with the University of Minho.

The Polytechnic Institute of Leiria is present in the Leiria and West region through its higher schools and research units located in Leiria (School of Education and Social Sciences – ESECS; School of Technology and Management – ESTG; School of Health – ESSLei), Caldas da Rainha (School of Arts and Design - ESAD.CR), Peniche (School of Tourism and Maritime Technology - ESTM), Marinha Grande (Center for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development – CDRSP), and a Training Center in Torres Vedras.

The Polytechnic Institute of Leiria leads the Regional University Network European (RUN-EU) consortium under the European Universities initiative (Erasmus+). RUN-EU brings together higher education institutions from six countries (Austria, Finland, Netherlands, Hungary, Ireland, and Portugal) collaborating to develop joint programs for Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as implementing international cooperation projects in research and development, impacting the economic and social development of the regions where they are located.

With increasing activity in research, the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria has a distinctive identity marked by a research and innovation ecosystem oriented towards the economic and social fabric of its region. This R&D+i ecosystem includes, among others:

• 5 higher schools
• 15 research units in areas such as social and human sciences, engineering and exact sciences, natural and environmental sciences, and life and health sciences
• 1 European university
• 2 science and technology parks
• 2 scientific infrastructures (CDRSP Building – Engineering and Biofabrication; CETEMARES Building – Marine Science and Technology)
• 3 business incubators
• 1 business school
• 1 business association (NERLEI – Business Association of the Leiria region)
• 1 technological center (CENTIMFE – Technological Center for the Mold, Special Tools, and Plastics Industry)
• 1 technology park (OBITEC – Óbidos Technology Park)
• 3 collaborative laboratories (Smart Farm; Built Colab; S2AQUAcoLAB)
• 2 regional energy agencies (Regional Energy Agency of High Estremadura; Regional Energy and Environment Agency of the West)
• 1 science center (Centro Ciência Viva do Alviela – Carsoscópio)
• 3 Innovation platforms (Leiria Social Innovation Hub, Health Innovation Hub, and Leiria Digital Innovation Hub)
• 9 technology competitiveness clusters (Aerospace, Space, and Defense Cluster; Knowledge and Maritime Economy Cluster; Central Agroindustrial Cluster; Automotive Cluster; Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Cluster; Production Technologies Pole; Engineering & Tooling Cluster; TICE.PT – Information, Communication, and Electronics Technologies Cluster; and the Association of Mineral Resources of Portugal).

The Polytechnic Institute of Leiria is focused on applied research and finding solutions to concrete problems faced by society and businesses. Its R&D units closely collaborate with companies through research, project development, or service provision.