Bárbara Leão de Carvalho participated in the NOVA impACT! Challenges, a transformative program created by NOVA Impact in collaboration with Santander Universidades. This initiative provides a unique opportunity for innovative projects aimed at solving social and environmental issues to come to life.

By joining the program, entrepreneurs receive invaluable support over three intensive weeks, working alongside a team of specialists and mentors to accelerate your project and develop a prototype in a virtual format. The recent Demo Day stated excellent projects, such as:

🔄 Circular Foods from NOVA SBE: Reintegrating industrial food waste into healthy, affordable products, prioritizing physical and mental health with recycled ingredients. Team: António Vidinha, Carolina Piloto, José Sarmento, Carlota Moura, and Carlos Morais.

💡 EnsinAI from NOVA IMS: Empowering students with an AI tutor and gamified platform, making education fun and accessible. Team: Lourenço Martins and Miguel Neto.

Given the high quality of the projects, the jury also awarded two honourable mentions:

🩸 Sangue.PT from NOVA ENSP: An app to improve blood donation management, reduce waste, and increase donations. Team: Ana Beatriz, Ana Silva, Elisa Bucho, Francisco Ferreira Pinto, and Gonçalo Lobo.

🦷 DentAR Kids from NOVA ENSP: An app and augmented reality glasses to reduce children's fear of the dentist, improving treatment and experience. Team: Amância Trindade, Mafalda Almeida, and Carolina Santos.

Barbara Leão de Carvalho, who had the honor of serving as a juror for this prestigious program, praised the quality of both the program and the projects. She noted, "The NOVA impACT! Challenges offer an exceptional platform for innovators to transform their ideas into impactful solutions. The dedication and creativity displayed by the participants were truly inspiring."

We are excited to support the NOVA impACT! Challenges and look forward to seeing the incredible solutions that emerge from this program. Together, we can create a better, more sustainable future.