The 'Mais Contigo' program, which focuses on mental health promotion and suicide prevention in schools, is launching a pilot phase for higher education. Starting on Wednesday 11 November, training workshops for faculty members at the Coimbra Nursing School (ESEUC) will cover student support techniques, including active listening and identifying mental distress.
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The three-year mental health support program for higher education, backed by 12 million euros and supporting 40 projects across 68 institutions, ends this month with no confirmed continuation. The Portuguese Psychologists Association (OPP) has expressed deep concern over the lack of guarantees for psychological support and calls for the government's announced SOMA+Academia program to be implemented immediately with effective, predictable funding to prevent service interruptions and job losses.
The Odivelas municipality is testing a new pilot project called Floodgate that uses satellite imagery to map flooded areas and cross-reference this data with geographical information to improve municipal flood response.
Students at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) protested in Covilhã on 28 October against government plans to increase tuition fees, residency rental caps, and cuts to public investment. They also challenged the proposed legal framework for academic degrees, which includes new entry exams in literacy and numeracy, as well as restrictive quotas for master's and doctoral programs that they argue create an academic elite.