Marta Couto Galiza Naldinho, a former student of the Master’s in Management (MIM) programme at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Porto (FEP), has won the José da Silva Lopes Prize in the Management category. The prize, organised by Banco de Portugal in partnership with the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, recognises the best master’s theses in Economics and Management produced at Portuguese universities.
The award-winning thesis, entitled “The Impact of External Collaboration on Innovation Performance: Do Business Strategies and Type of Collaboration Matter?”, was supervised by Professor Aurora Teixeira. The jury, chaired by Teresa da Silva Lopes from the University of York, praised the quality of the research, which investigates how external collaboration can enhance business innovation.
The winners were announced at the “12th Banco de Portugal Conference — Portuguese Economic Development in the European Context,” a biennial event that brings together experts to discuss key issues in the Portuguese economy within a European framework.
FEP also stood out for its strong representation among the finalists. In Management, alongside Marta Naldinho, Guilherme Paulino and Catarina Cardoso, both from the MIM programme, were also finalists. In Economics, FEP was represented by finalist Diogo Pereira Ribeiro.
Through the José da Silva Lopes Prize, Banco de Portugal aims to promote academic excellence and encourage the production of relevant studies on the Portuguese economy, contributing to a deeper understanding of the country’s economic development. The performance of FEP students underscores the quality of the institution’s education and research.
