Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto

What Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto does

Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) is a public polytechnic higher education institution located in Porto, Portugal, founded in 1852 and operating as a constituent school of the Instituto Politécnico do Porto (IPP). The institution delivers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral-level engineering and applied science education across 17 undergraduate programs, more than 15 master's programs, and 4 doctoral programs, organized through 9 academic departments and supported by 12 research centers. ISEP employs 1,578 staff and serves a student body enrolled in disciplines spanning electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, AI engineering, and applied physics.

ISEP's core academic and research output is delivered through its research centers and departmental structure. The GECAD research center operates robotics platforms and contributes to applied AI research. ISEP collaborates externally with INESC TEC on autonomous aerial vehicles, with LNEC on EU-funded wastewater treatment research, and with international partners including Rzeszów University of Technology (Poland) and ISPTEC (Angola), where ISEP supports the delivery of a master's program. The institution holds formal municipal-level engagement with the Câmara Municipal do Porto and participates in industry-aligned programs with partners such as Cisco and Real Madrid.

As a state-owned public institution, ISEP's revenue model is based on Portuguese government budget allocations, regulated tuition fees, EU research grants, and partnership-based funding. There is no commercial product revenue stream. The institution's go-to-market for academic services is structured through its degree program portfolio and applied research collaborations with industry and public-sector partners. Strategic leadership transitioned in April 2026 with the election of Roque Brandão as President.

Name

Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto

Legal name

Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto

Website

https://isep.ipp.pt

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) is a public polytechnic engineering school in Porto, Portugal, offering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across 9 departments and 12 research centers, serving students and applied research partners in Portugal and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Higher Education Funding: As a public polytechnic institute part of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, ISEP receives government funding for educational operations.
2. Tuition and Academic Fees: Tuition fees from students, including international programs and specializations.
3. Research Grants and Projects: European and national research project funding through programs like the EU LIFE program, with LNEC coordination.
4. Service Centers (Centros de Prestação Serviços): Revenue from service centers including CEA, CPLOT, ISEP Academy, LABCARGA, LGMC, NEC, TID, and TRELAB providing specialized testing and consulting services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ISEP is a public polytechnic engineering school delivering three-cycle higher education (Licenciaturas, Mestrados, Doutoramentos), postgraduate and CTESP vocational programs, and the EPS@ISEP international semester. It supplements teaching with applied research through 12 specialized research centers and provides industry testing, calibration, and consulting through 8 Centros de Prestação de Serviços (CEA, CPLOT, ISEP Academy, LABCARGA, LGMC, NEC, TID, TRELAB).

Product overview

ISEP (Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto) is a higher education institution within the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, offering a comprehensive portfolio of engineering education programs. The institution provides undergraduate degrees (Licenciaturas) in 15 engineering disciplines, master's programs (Mestrados) including specialized tracks in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Systems, doctoral programs (Doutoramentos) across four research areas, and continuing education through pós-graduações and CTESP programs. Research activities are conducted through 12 specialized research centers including GECAD (intelligent computing), CISTER (embedded systems), and CIETI (technology and innovation). ISEP Academy provides professional certification and training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Licenciaturas (Undergraduate Programs) First-cycle bachelor's degree programs (Licenciaturas) across 15 engineering disciplines including Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications and Informatics Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physical Engineering, Geotechnical and Geo-environmental Engineering, Informatics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biorrecursos. Targeted at high-school leavers and transfer students pursuing a professional engineering qualification.
• Mestrados (Master's Programs) Second-cycle master's degree programs across 15+ engineering specializations including Automotive Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Biorrecursos Engineering, Sustainable Energy Engineering, Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Critical Computational Systems Engineering, Supply Chain Management Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management, Electrical Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Informatics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. Targeted at bachelor's graduates seeking advanced specialization; the Master's in AI leverages GECAD robotics platforms.
• Doutoramentos (Doctoral Programs) Third-cycle doctoral degree programs in Electrical Engineering and Computational Systems, Mechanical Engineering and Sustainable Production, Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems Engineering, and Analytical Chemistry and Engineering for Environmental Sustainability. Targeted at researchers and advanced specialists pursuing doctoral-level credentials.
• Pós-graduações (Postgraduate Programs) Specialized postgraduate programs and continuing education courses for professional development. Targeted at working professionals seeking advanced short-cycle credentials in engineering and technology areas.
• CTESP (Technological Specialization Higher Courses) Technological specialization higher education courses (CTESP) providing vocational training in technical and engineering areas. Targeted at students seeking shorter, professionally oriented qualifications.
• European Project Semester (EPS@ISEP) International semester program (EPS@ISEP) where visiting students work on cross-cultural engineering projects alongside ISEP students. Targeted at international students from partner universities seeking a credit-bearing mobility semester in Portugal.
• ISEP Academy Professional training and certification center offering technology and engineering courses, including Cisco networking certifications (NetAcad). Targeted at working professionals and organizations seeking industry-recognized technical certifications.
• Centros de Prestação de Serviços (Service Provision Centers: CEA, CPLOT, LABCARGA, LGMC, NEC, TID, TRELAB) Eight specialized service centers providing testing, calibration, certification, and consulting services to industry clients: CEA, CPLOT, ISEP Academy, LABCARGA, LGMC, NEC, TID, and TRELAB (renewable energy and sustainable technologies). Targeted at companies and public-sector organizations seeking applied engineering services.

Quantifiable outcome

• CHAØS Team achieved 8th place among 300+ teams in upCTF 2026 competition organized by University of Porto
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LNEC (Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026ISEP is part of the consortium for the European project 'ReFitting the PLAN-DO toolbox for wider replication under the new EU wastewater directive', coordinated by LNEC and funded by the European Union.
• Câmara Municipal do PortominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2026ISEP President Roque Brandão participated in SEI.ence showcase organized by Porto City Hall in partnership with various entities, demonstrating community engagement.
• Cisco and Real Madrid CFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026ISEP Academy participated in EMEA NetAcad Cup Real Madrid competition, winning 1st place. Competition organized by Cisco with collaboration from Real Madrid CF.
• Rzeszów University of Technology (Polônia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2026ISEP participated in International Summer School on Current Trends in Engineering Technologies at Rzeszów University of Technology in Poland, promoting international academic exchange.
• INESC TEC (Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Collaborative development of an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (Veículo Aéreo Autónomo) designed to execute logistics operations in industrial warehouses. Joint research between ISEP and INESC TEC researchers.
• ISPTEC (Instituto Superior Politécnico de Tecnologias e Ciências)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026ISEP and ISPTEC partnered to develop a master's program in applied engineering in Angola, strengthening advanced engineering education in the African region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (IPL): Lisbon-based polytechnic system offering engineering and technology programs in the same structure as ISEP (Licenciaturas, Mestrados). Competes for polytechnic-level engineering students and similar applied-research funding.
• Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP): University-level engineering faculty based in Porto, the same city as ISEP. Competes for the same domestic student pool, faculty talent, and industry research projects across overlapping engineering disciplines.
• Universidade do Minho - School of Engineering: Northern-Portugal university with broad engineering program portfolio including computer, mechanical, electrical, civil and biomedical engineering. Comparable in mission as a public research-active engineering educator and competitor for top STEM students.
• Instituto Superior Técnico (Universidade de Lisboa): Portugal's flagship engineering university offering undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs across all major engineering disciplines with strong research output. Most direct comparator to ISEP given its scale, program breadth and engineering-exclusive focus.

Others

• INESC TEC: Portugal's largest private non-profit applied-research lab in engineering and computer science. Active ISEP research partner (autonomous aerial vehicles) and shares faculty and grant flows; comparable as an applied-engineering research-output entity, though structured very differently as a non-instructional institute.

Broad incumbents

• Universidade de Aveiro: Large public Portuguese university with engineering, computer science and applied research strengths. Direct competitor for international students and EU applied-research grants, particularly in materials, electronics and sustainable engineering.
• Universidade do Porto: Parent university ecosystem of which ISEP is a polytechnic peer via FEUP. Competes for cross-institutional funding, research talent, and students in northern Portugal; helpful benchmark for institutional scale and portfolio positioning.
• Universidade de Coimbra - Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia: One of Portugal's oldest universities with extensive engineering and science programs at undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. Competes for top students, EU research grants and industry partnerships in overlapping engineering domains.
• Universidade Nova de Lisboa - Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia: Lisbon-based public research university with strong engineering, computer science and applied-science programs. Competes for graduate students, faculty and EU research funding in similar disciplines as ISEP.

Regional players

• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC): Catalonia's flagship polytechnic university with engineering programs across mechanical, electrical, computer and civil disciplines. Comparable in polytechnic structure, research-center model and degree portfolio, though operating in a different national market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDi3PtuTNsFs_H5Q75mGVmw
• Facebookfacebook.com/isep.pporto
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/isep
• Instagraminstagram.com/isep.pporto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto