The Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV) through its five Schools: Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Escola Superior de Educação de Viseu, Escola Superior de Saúde de Viseu, Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Viseu and Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Viseu Lamego is the only public higher education institution located in the regions of Viseu, Dão-Lafões and Douro, which gives it an irreplaceable role in the qualification of the population, contributing to a successful insertion or reintegration in the labor market and responding to the growing complexity of the challenges faced by professionals and employers.

As a “global thinker, world learner, local trainer”, IPV intends to walk the path of excellence in its activities, namely in teaching, applied research and high-level professional development, in inter-institutional and community collaboration, with a view to sustainable development, valorization of resources and satisfaction of all the actors involved.

The IPV aims to stimulate reflection and the creation of conditions for the definition of areas of competence in Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) in which it can assert itself and consequently disseminate it with relevant regional, national and international partners, promoting the creation of mechanisms of intervention in the region, together with economic, social and cultural agents, in order to identify and define lines of action, programs and priority projects for ID&I.

The Institute also owns and integrates 4 research centers CISED, CI&DEI, CERNAS and UICISA:E.

During the 2022/2023 academic year, the IPV offers 87 courses, attended by 6,062 students. In order to carry out its activities, and in order to respond to requests made, the IPV has the following functions: 486 teachers (270 with PhDs) and 197 administrative staff (in addition to these 34 SAS employees).

In particular, the Department of Wood Engineering offers 2 courses in the area of Technology and Furniture Design. It comprises 12 professors, who, in addition to the IPV Research Centres, are part of the ARCP Collaborative Laboratory (Association Network of Competence in Polymers) and the LEPABE-Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy integrated in the Associated Laboratory ALiCE (Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering).