Putting the region of Baixo Sabor in Trás-os-Montes on the international volunteering map was the idea that secured the victory of the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa team. Inspired by the growing number of young people who travel the world in volunteer, work camp, exchange, holiday camp and internship programs, the five winning students designed a project for the creation of a NGO based the in four municipalities covered by the Sabor dam.

Collaborating with organizations and local communities, the Respiro Sabor Association aims to attract young people, both Portuguese and foreigners, who are interested in nature conservation and rural customs and traditions. Tailored to the region's needs, the innovative proposal won a €5.000 award, plus an EDP internship possibility for the authors.

The remaining prizes were awarded to a team from Universidade da Beira Interior, which has submitted a theme park project focusing on one of the region's most iconic species - the eagle. The 3rd place was secured by an ISCTE team whose proposal consisted of creating an umbrella brand for the region, bringing together all tourist-interest resources under a website and mobile app (along with promotion and communication strategies for these channels), in addition to environmental awareness actions for local communities.

For EDP, the 9th edition of the EDP University Challenge achieved the goals the company had set. Challenging the academic world to imagine sustainable development proposals to be implemented in a remote region affected by growing depopulation, but with a rich natural and cultural heritage to explore. 185 marketing, communication and management students from 35 universities overcame the challenge, presenting themselves as EDP partners in the effort to foster sustainable development in the region of Baixo Sabor, with a special focus on the municipalities of Alfândega da Fé, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Mogadouro and Torre de Moncorvo.

University Challenge is an international competition for university students from Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Poland. Its purpose is to keep EDP in touch with academic knowledge and talent, and to contribute to the training of new generations by providing them with the opportunity to have a closer look at the dynamics of business strategies.

1st place: Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
Project Title: Respiro Sabor
€5.000 cash prize and EDP internship opportunity for the team
€1.250 cash prize for the supervisor
Team: Bruno Mateus Mariana Nóbrega, Joana Simões, Liliana Azenha, Adriana Picareta
Supervisor: George Dutschke

2nd place: Universidade da Beira Interior
Project title: Sabor Reino das Águias
€3.000 cash prize for the team
€1,000 for the supervisor
Team: Bárbara Reis and Filipa Gameiro
Supervisor: Arminda do Paço

3rd place: ISCTE
Project Title: Viva a Energia do Sabor
€2.000 cash prize for the team
€750 cash prize for supervisor
Team: Tiago Paula, Inês Castro, Sara Melo, Filipa Martins, Eduardo Angelo
Supervisor: Joaquim Vicente Rodrigues