Approved Funding for the UNITECHealth Project – Innovation and Service Unit in Sport, Health, and Human Development

The Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) and the School of Health and Human Development (ESDH) of the University of Évora celebrate the approval and funding of the UNITECHealth project – Innovation and Service Unit in Sport, Health, and Human Development.

 This project represents an investment of €505,343.65, co-funded under the ALENTEJO2030 programme, and serves as a key lever for implementing applied innovation strategies in the fields of health, sport, and human development.

Coordinated by CHRC-UÉ and with strong involvement from ESDH, UNITECHealth is being established as a technological infrastructure supporting advanced research, development, and service delivery. Its mission is clear: to promote knowledge transfer, apply cutting-edge technologies — such as artificial intelligence and biometric analysis — and deliver tailored responses to the emerging needs of diverse population groups.

Structured according to a networked and territorially cohesive approach, UNITECHealth focuses on five strategic areas: Sport, Exercise and Health, Psychomotricity, Nursing, and Public Health. This multidimensional framework reinforces CHRC and ESDH’s commitment to science with social impact, through collaboration between researchers, academic staff, and health professionals.

Currently in its capacity-building phase, the operation is physically structured across three interlinked facilities: the Gymnasium Pavilion Laboratory at the University of Évora, the EnSoLab – Environment Health and Sustainability Lab at Colégio Luís António Verney, and the Self-Care Clinic of the São João de Deus Nursing School, officially recognised by the Portuguese Health Regulatory Authority. This territorial distribution enhances synergies and consolidates UNITECHealth as a centre of excellence within the CHRC ecosystem.

More than a financial investment, this operation reflects the scientific quality and social impact of CHRC and ESDH, positioning them as national and international reference centres. UNITECHealth thus emerges as a platform for knowledge sharing, capability demonstration, and the development of transdisciplinary networks that foster innovation, scientific cohesion, and the valorisation of human capital.