The Polytechnic of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), created by Decree-Law no. 304/94, of 19 December, consisting of the School of Management (ESG) and the School of Technology (EST), began teaching in the 1996/97 academic year.
The first IPCA students, totalling 74, from the two bachelor’s degree courses: Accounting and Public Finance and Business Accounting, began their teaching activities in temporary premises in the parish of Arcozelo in Barcelos. The definitive facilities only materialised in 2008, with the inauguration of the IPCA Campus in Barcelos, which covers an area of seven hectares.
The history of the IPCA is a story marked by remarkable people and events that, over time, have led to the transformation and consolidation of this institution. It’s these milestones that we want to keep in everyone’s memory today, in order to tell the whole story of the journey to the present day.
Today, the IPCA is 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 has six Higher Schools and 6,815 students enrolled in the various study programmes on offer. Its Campus in Barcelos, now expanded to around 11 hectares, in Barcelos, is the epicentre of knowledge and research and is a great source of information for the community.
The year 2023 will be marked, not only in the history of IPCA, but in the history of Polytechnic Higher Education in Portugal, with the approval of the Law that allows Polytechnics to award doctorates and changes their designation to Polytechnic University, according to Law no. 16/2023, of 10 April.
