The DigiMedia PhD student Filipe Silva and the DigiMedia coordinator Nelson Zagalo, were part of the Portuguese delegation that participated in the CNIPES mission to Sweden, dedicated to exploring research-informed approaches to pedagogical innovation in higher education. The mission took place from April 26th to May 1st, and included visits to KTH Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, and Uppsala University, bringing together Portuguese higher education representatives in a programme focused on academic development, discipline-based education research, internationalization, inclusion, student support, and institutional governance.
The mission aimed to observe how leading Swedish universities connect research, policy, and practice in teaching and learning. Rather than focusing on isolated examples of innovation, the programme emphasized systemic approaches capable of aligning pedagogical development with institutional strategy, quality assurance, governance structures, and long-term educational transformation. In this context, the participation of DigiMedia members contributed to the centre’s ongoing engagement with national discussions on the future of higher education, pedagogical innovation, and the strategic development of institutional frameworks.
This mission connected directly with DigiMedia’s ongoing work on higher education transformation, research-informed innovation, and the relationship between institutional strategy and educational practice, strengthening the centre’s contribution to national reflection on how Portuguese higher education institutions can develop more coherent, inclusive, and evidence-based models of pedagogical innovation.
The CNIPES mission to Sweden reinforced a central principle: pedagogical innovation is most effective when it is embedded in institutional systems rather than developed through isolated initiatives. By participating in this mission, DigiMedia contributed to a broader national debate on how Portuguese higher education can strengthen its capacity for strategic, sustainable, and research-informed educational transformation.
