On the Tour of Portugal with Science

Over ten stages, starting in Oliveira de Azeméis and ending in Lisbon, this will be a journey of discovery and learning about the region, its landscapes, its people, its culture, and its traditions.

Territory, Heritage, Health, Innovation, Literature, History, Music, Sports, Gastronomy, and Arts and Crafts are the themes that fill the Stages of Knowledge, revealing the presence of science throughout the journey: in history and heritage, in the technology it develops, in equipment and also in the environment, in local cultures, and in the organization of the territory.

As part of Portugal's commitment to education, science, culture, and knowledge, this initiative, promoted by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education (MCTES), aims to promote awareness of Portugal and its cultural, natural, scientific, and technological heritage; to raise awareness of the technological innovations that connect higher education institutions to companies and the regions where they are located; to raise awareness of the responsible use of natural resources; to stimulate social, scientific, economic, and cultural innovation.

The Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta is a unique sporting event, due to the excitement it generates, its proximity to local communities, and the traveling festival of entertainment that accompanies each stage. By associating science and knowledge with the main national cycling event, you will be stimulating the development and appreciation of national identity.

The initiative Volta ao Conhecimento. Porque a Volta tem Ciência ( Back to Knowledge. Because Volta has Science) was presented on Friday, July 22, at the Thalia Theater, by the Secretary of State for Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Maria Fernanda Rollo. It featured speeches by the Secretary of State for Energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches, the President of RTP, Gonçalo Reis, the President of the Portuguese Cycling Federation, Delmiro Pereira, the Director of Volta a Portugal, Joaquim Gomes, the Representative of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities, Manuel Assunção, and the President of the Higher Council of Polytechnic Institutes, Joaquim Mourato.

During the press conference, an exhibition was held featuring some equipment belonging to well-known figures in Portuguese cycling, such as Joaquim Agostinho's Yellow Jersey and the bicycle used by Alves Barbosa in the Tour. There was also a 3D printer on site that designed and produced a bicycle, as an example of the innovation and technology developed in the research units of higher education institutions.

On the website www.voltaaoconhecimento.pt you can find the route and themes of the Stages of Knowledge. The initiative will also be on Facebook and Twitter.

Tour of Portugal | Tour of Knowledge. 

Because the Tour has Science.