ĚUROFÅBŔIQUË

The Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA) was created by Decree-Law no. 304/94 of 19 December and is made up of the School of Management (ESG) and the School of Technology (EST), having started teaching in the 1996/97 academic year.

The definitive facilities only materialised in 2008, with the inauguration of the IPCA Campus in Barcelos, covering an area of seven hectares.

IPCA’s history is a narrative marked by notable individuals and events that, over time, have translated into the transformation and consolidation of this institution. We seek to preserve these milestones in everyone’s memory to tell the story of the journey that has taken us to the present day.

IPCA is now a consolidated institution, recognised at national and international level for the quality of its training, research and scientific production, as well as its interaction with the community, making a strong contribution to the development of the region.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, IPCA had six colleges, and 6,815 students enrolled in the various study programmes on offer. Its Campus, now expanded to around 11 hectares in Barcelos, is the epicentre of knowledge, research and innovation. IPCA extends its influence on other municipalities, with facilities (centres) in five other municipalities in the Cávado valley and the Ave valley.