About INOV Contacto

The INOV Contacto Program - International Internships is an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Portugal, supported by the European Union and by QREN/POPH, and managed by Aicep Portugal Global. 

Its main aim is to provide quality training to young graduates in an international context and to serve as a link that allows past and current participants to keep in touch and share information between one another through the use of an informal knowledge network and a growing international contact network: the NetworkContacto.

The increasing participation of companies in the INOV Contacto Program shows that it has now become well recognised and held in high regard not only by the Portuguese business community but also by some of the most prestigious companies and research institutes worldwide. Click here to read some Testimonials provided by participating companies and interns.

Along with that increasing recognition, the INOV Contacto was considered "Best Practice" in the field of Management Development Programmes - Graduate Programmes by the national experts of the "Small and Medium Enterprises' Internationalization Support" task force. As a result, the INOV Contacto will be part of a good practices publication by the Entreprise and Industry Directorate-General of the European Commission which aims to determine how public policies can help the SMEs in their international growth efforts and to adopt a more and more european and international orientation standard.

Check out this brief presentation of INOV Contacto


What the NetworkContacto has to offer

 
Companies

International Contacts – The NetworkContacto, as an International Contacts Network, makes it easier to interact with economic agents, thus bringing the national business community into closer contact with 54 foreign markets.

Human Resources – The NetworkContacto provides companies with high-potential human resources aiming for an international career and free of charge. All expenses related with the accomplishment of the proposed training plan such as business travels will not be supported by the program.

Business Opportunities – The NetworkContacto helps disseminating new business opportunities through its presence in 54 markets.

International Lobbying - The NetworkContacto integrates several agents of economic diplomacy such as the Portuguese Diplomatic and Consular Network accredited abroad, the foreign Diplomatic and Consular Network accredited in Portugal, the Chambers of Commerce, the Contacters, and AICEP offices located abroad.

Partnerships – The NetworkContacto aims to encourage the creation of partnerships with international companies.

Tailor-made Information – The NetworkContacto allows the access to exclusive, reliable and up-to-date information about foreign markets, sectors and products by request of any of the participating companies.

Interns

Complementary component to academic education - The Campus Week is composed by a set of theoretical and practical sessions presented by leading individuals in both the national and international business worlds, including Contacters, offering a complementary training in managing across cultures and managing in a changing environment.

Knowledge of the national business reality – Short-term training in Portuguese companies in order to gain contact with the operation and organisation of the business and to prepare for the international internship.

Possibility to engage in an international career – Training up to nine months in companies operating abroad.

Knowledge of a different culture - The internships abroad allow contact with the culture of another country, as well as the chance to improve foreign language skills.

Being part of NetworkContacto - Participation in the INOV Contacto offers, from the start, involvement in the Network as a receiver/sender of the knowledge and information generated, as well as networking experience.

Contacters

• Knowledge and set of contacts in the national and international business world,
• Permanent access to the growing NetworkContacto
• For many, the beginning of a professional career in Portugal or abroad
• Participation in all events organized by AICEP or the NetworkContacto
• Access to all job opportunities that are promoted in the NetworkContacto