HQA® Makes History at Historic University
It is rare to do something that has never been done at one of the world’s oldest universities,…
It is rare to do something that has never been done at one of the world’s oldest universities, but Empowered Startups has enabled Oguz Yesilkaya to achieve that feat at the University of Coimbra (UC). Alongside UC officials and representatives from Empowered Startups, Yesilkaya signed a research agreement on the historic Portuguese campus, becoming the first entrepreneur to launch a start-up at UC via the HQA® Visa Program.
Research on Development
Yesilkaya’s collaborative project will focus on the comparative development of countries and examine the challenges nations confronted, how they addressed them, and the critical decisions that led to their subsequent outcomes. By researching the evolution of specific countries, this venture aims to produce a lessons-learned approach for sustainable development including strategies to prepare for the future considering technological advancements, climate change, and artificial intelligence.
The project’s scope is fitting for the initial undertaking through the HQA® Visa Program given that it will take place at a university that has stood the test of time through its own strategic choices.
“This will be the first project in this program for Coimbra, so it puts a little pressure on us, I guess,” smiled Yesilkaya, the former Head of Finance for Siemens Digital Industries in Türkiye, as he addressed those gathered at UC. “So, we have to be successful, and it must be a good benchmark or good example for the future projects. But I’m sure with your wealth of knowledge here in the university, my ample experience on the business side, we’ll do that. I’m very excited and very motivated to go on further with this project.”
Vice-Rector Luís Neves, responsible for the Human Resources and Social Action Services portfolio at UC, applauded this first agreement, adding that, “in the end, what we want to see are the results of these agreements”.
First of Many HQA® Projects
Though the project provides the first public evidence of the benefits the partnership between UC and Empowered Startups has generated, the university and Canadian multinational have quietly built a robust relationship that will result in several more projects and joint initiatives.
“When we partnered with the University of Coimbra earlier this year, we knew it would be an important relationship for the accomplished entrepreneurs we work with, and the launch of this project provides tangible evidence of that,” stated Chris Lennon, President of Empowered Startups. “Coupling our ability to attract highly qualified foreign investors to Portugal with the University of Coimbra’s longstanding commitment to knowledge exchange and technology transfer creates ideal conditions for innovation to thrive. The support shown by the University of Coimbra in forging our already strong partnership gives us great confidence that this is the first of many collaborative ventures our entrepreneurs will initiate here.”
Record-Breaking Month
The announcement at UC marked the third HQA® Visa Program signing at a Portuguese university or polytechnic in October, and there are several more to come. With five additional signings scheduled this month, including another at UC, Empowered will introduce more foreign direct investment to Portugal than in any previous month in the history of the HQA® Visa Program.
These results reinforce the commitment Lennon made to Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, earlier this year in Évora, where he told the PM that Empowered Startups would deliver more than 50 million Euros of foreign direct investment to Portugal over the next three years.
Find more information on the HQA® Visa Program
