Congress venue (Faculty of Economics)

The Faculty of Economics is located in a building planned by the renowned architect Viana de Lima and is called an innovative expression in the landscape of school buildings of its time. The Faculty of Economics was built at the start of the 1970s, and is a four-storey building based around a cloister scheme, including galleries and external yards. The Main Hall can seat 400 people. The building has 9 amphitheatres and a significant number of classrooms.

Welcome to the City of Porto

The city of Porto, or Oporto (in english), is Portugal's second most significant city (population of about 270.000). The character of the city was shaped in medieval and modern ages. It is beautifully located at the mouth of the river Douro ("Duero" in Spain), and for centuries it has played a fundamental role in Portuguese history, economy and culture: that's why the "Historic Centre of Oporto" is now recognised by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage since 1996 and the "Alto Douro wine region" since 2001.

This bourgeois "city of work" has given its name to the world-famous "port wine", produced in the steep and harsh sunny hills that surround the river, more than 100 km upstream. Although Porto is quite far away from estates where the grapes ripe and the first stages of the wine-making process occur, the warehouses where the ageing process slowly develops the richness of flavours of the wine have always been located near Porto.

Head of one of the main industrial poles of the country that goes from Braga to Aveiro, the city of Porto also has an important historic role on portuguese culture and it has recently been European Capital of Culture (2001). City of architects, with curious mix of cosmopolitan atmosphere, hard-working labour class and rural flavour, Porto is a fascinating city currently striving to modernise quickly its infrastructure and way of life. The city is now preparing for the EURO 2004 – European Football Championship. For more information refer to the local government website at http://www.cm-porto.pt.

The University of Porto

The University of Porto was founded in 1911 and is the largest and the most comprehensive Portuguese University. More than 25,000 students (3,000 postgraduate) attend the courses provided by the university’s fourteen colleges, supported by an academic staff of 2,000.

University facilities, currently under a major process of renovation, are grouped around three main sites located within the city of Porto, a proximity that also reflects the strong links that it maintains with the community. The University of Porto has a key role in regional development and, over the last few years, has significantly improved its teaching and research and development activities through academic recognition and increased funding of R&D centres and research grants.

Deeply committed to the development of its international relations, the University of Porto takes part in several university networks and co-operation groups, both European and of Portuguese speaking countries.

For more information on the University of Porto, visit the university website at http://www.up.pt

The College of Economics

The College of Economics was founded in 1953. After an initial period in temporary facilities, the faculty of economics moved to its present site in 1974, being one of the first Faculties at the University to have its own building. It has greatly expanded since this period and, currently, has about 3,000 students and a teaching staff of 173, 72 of which hold a doctoral degree.

The Faculty awards 2 Graduate Degrees, 5 Master’s Degrees (1 of them in co-operation with two other Schools of the UP) and 2 Ph. D. degrees. Graduates have access to employment both in the private and public sectors, mostly at a high level. Those who hold Master’s Degrees are mostly directed towards top management jobs and academia.

In this Faculty, the course units are divided into 5 groups or departments: Department of Economics, Department of Management/Business Studies, Department of Social Sciences, Department of Law, Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences.

The address is:

Rua Dr. Roberto Frias

4200-464 Porto

Phone: +351-225571100

Fax: +351-225505050

Web: http://www.fep.up.pt/

© 2003-2004 by 44 th ERSA Congress - Last Modified 06-08-2003