Porto Design Factory  (PDF) is a lab of ideas based on interdisciplinary work, applied research and industrial collaboration. It is in here that students from different areas cooperate in the development of projects with the ambition of promoting an entrepreneurial mindset.

PDF offers several educational programs with different time frames, goals and pedagogical methodologies targeted to students, post-graduates and business professionals interested in creative and innovative skills. Our educational programs have stand of been interdisciplinary and international, by mixing people from the fields of engineering, design, communication, business, education etc. and  from a wide range of international universities. Teams then work on innovational challenges settled by national and international companies, from startups and SMEs to large multinationals. 

Through the projects, the participants undergo an intensive and iterative process of need finding, idealization and fast prototyping, to create and develop new product or service ideas and proofs of concept.

PDF is part of the Design Factory Global Network (DFGN), composed of 20 institutions from four continents. This network enables the exchange of students and teachers between the different centers, in addition to the exchange and sharing of knowledge and collaboration on projects. DFGN is located on all continents, from Helsinki to Shanghai, from Melbourne to Santiago de Chile, through the Netherlands, Geneva or New York.

We believe in giving the necessary tools to create the strength to respond and adjust to the socio-economic points of the region by encouraging an innovative ecosystem centered on interdisciplinary dialogue and teamwork.