Porto welcomes MBA delegation from French school IÉSEG
The Municipality of Porto, in close collaboration with Porto Business School, hosted the international delegation of students
InvestPorto
· 12 Jun 2025
Recently, the Municipality of Porto, hosted a group of MBA students from various nationalities (Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan, United States) from the prestigious IÉSEG grand école, as part of an immersive academic visit focused on sustainability, innovation, and public-private cooperation.
The visit, organised in close collaboration with Porto Business School (PBS), began with a dynamic roundtable discussion titled "Sustainable Innovation and Public Policy: Bridging Strategy”, held at PBS. The session brought together key municipal and innovation ecosystem stakeholders including Porto Ambiente, Biopolis, and UPTEC, offering students a unique perspective on how cities can act as active agents of sustainable transformation through collaborative governance and science-based entrepreneurship.
Following the roundtable, the delegation was welcomed at the Porto City Hall. During the visit, students attended a series of presentations coordinated by the Municipality’s Department of Economics, showcasing Porto’s strategic efforts in attracting foreign direct investment, promoting a robust business and innovation ecosystem, and advancing sustainable urban governance.
Key topics discussed:
- Porto’s Economic Performance and Investment Climate – A deep dive into sectoral strengths, internationalisation strategies, and emerging opportunities for foreign investors;
- Sustainability Reporting and Governance Practices – Insights into the Municipality’s voluntary annual sustainability reporting, aligned with international standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and enhanced stakeholder engagement under the Porto Futuro initiative since 2020;
- Smart City Infrastructure – A technical briefing by Porto Digital Association on Porto’s advanced digital infrastructure, covering the city’s telecommunications network and IoT sensor systems for real-time urban monitoring and innovation in public services.
The visit reflected Porto’s ongoing commitment to international knowledge exchange, strategic collaboration, and the active promotion of a city model where sustainability, innovation, and economic resilience go hand in hand.
This initiative also underlined the city’s efforts to build bridges between academia, public administration, and the private sector, further consolidating Porto’s position as a benchmark city for sustainable urban development in Europe.
