International assessment recognizes the integration of entrepreneurship into the School’s strategy, leadership, teaching, research, support structures, and engagement with society. NOVA IMS met all 15 criteria assessed and received an “Excellent” rating in six.

NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) has become the first institution in Portugal to receive Entrepreneurial University Accreditation, awarded by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU).

The accreditation follows an international assessment process that examined 15 dimensions of the School’s activities and organization. NOVA IMS, the only school in Portugal specializing in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Management, met all 15 criteria assessed and exceeded the required level in six.

ACEEU is an international organization headquartered in Germany that specializes in accrediting entrepreneurship and societal engagement in higher education.

Beyond the existence of entrepreneurship programs and companies founded by students and alumni, ACEEU assesses how entrepreneurial capacity is embedded across the institution: in strategy and leadership, teaching and research, the structures available to students, faculty, and researchers, engagement with companies and public-sector organizations, and the ability to transform knowledge into economic and social value.

NOVA IMS met all 15 accreditation criteria and exceeded the required level in six, which received an “Excellent” rating: institutional commitment, leadership, culture, internal entrepreneurship support structures, influence within the ecosystem, and impact.

According to the international assessment team, one of the School’s main strengths lies precisely in the fact that entrepreneurship is embedded at both the strategic and operational levels. The report highlights NOVA IMS’s ability to transform academic knowledge into innovation, ecosystem engagement, and value for society, as well as the existence of structures and initiatives that enable ideas to be developed and brought closer to practical application.

“Entrepreneurship has been part of NOVA IMS’s history from the very beginning. The School was founded in 1989 to respond to emerging needs in society and the market, and that ability to identify problems, experiment, and find new solutions continues to shape the way we work,” says Miguel de Castro Neto, Dean of NOVA IMS.

Internal Support Structures are among the areas that received an “Excellent” rating. The assessment concludes that NOVA IMS has mechanisms in place to support different stages in the development of an idea, from concept generation and skills development to prototyping, market validation, and the eventual creation of new projects or companies.

The report highlights, among other examples, the Analytics Labs, the Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge, IMS IGNITE, NOVAe, and Junior Data Consulting, noting that these structures create the conditions for students, faculty, and researchers to experiment, develop solutions, and advance projects within a structured support environment.

“Entrepreneurship does not begin or end with the creation of a company. It begins with the ability to recognize an opportunity and create the conditions for an idea to be tested, developed, and applied. At NOVA IMS, Value Creation seeks precisely to build that bridge between knowledge, talent, and real-world challenges, whether this leads to a new company, a solution, or innovation within an organization,” says Guilherme Victorino, Associate Dean for Value Creation at NOVA IMS.

This approach also extends to teaching. The assessment recognizes the integration of practical projects and real-world challenges into curricula, as well as the development of skills such as opportunity identification, problem-solving, innovation, and adaptability. The goal is not only to prepare students who may go on to create their own companies, but also professionals capable of innovating and developing new solutions within the organizations where they work.

In research, ACEEU also highlights the School’s ability to bring scientific knowledge closer to practical application through applied research, collaboration with companies and public institutions, technology transfer, and the development of new products, services, and solutions.

Influence within the Ecosystem was another dimension rated “Excellent.” The assessment team considers that NOVA IMS has a visible influence across regional, national, and international ecosystems, highlighting its participation in shaping agendas and policies, its collaboration with different organizations, and its ability to act as a knowledge partner in responding to external needs.

Impact also received an “Excellent” rating. The assessment highlights NOVA IMS’s ability to demonstrate results through indicators such as the number of people reached by its initiatives, startups and spin-offs created, employment generated, technology transfer, and knowledge dissemination.

Over the past five years, NOVA IMS students and alumni have founded 60 startups and one spin-off, and more than 2,500 people have participated in entrepreneurship programs promoted by the School.

Among the companies founded by NOVA IMS alumni are 3cket and DareData, both of which were included in the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Portugal, a ranking that recognizes the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the country.

The accreditation process included an analysis of the documentation and evidence submitted by NOVA IMS, as well as an on-site visit by the international assessment team.

Fifteen criteria were assessed across five broad areas: orientation and strategy; people and organizational capacity; culture and support structures; teaching, research, and engagement with society; and innovation and impact.

In its final decision, ACEEU formally confirmed the award of Entrepreneurial University Accreditation to NOVA IMS and identified it as the first institution accredited by ACEEU in Portugal. The organization also described the School as “a true example of an entrepreneurial university.”