Social Impact Projects

re:publica brings together industry experts, enthusiasts, students, and investors to engage in enriching conversations. By bridging its German roots with international partners like Portugal, the conference aims to expand the scope of dialogue and invite new perspectives. This cross-border connection forms the foundation of a strong global tech community, fostering critical discussion on essential topics such as data security and AI governance.

Futura is a developing women’s empowerment initiative with a vision to impact the world by investing in the next generation of young women. The project’s core component is the creation of a mentored co-living and co-working space designed to foster growth and collaboration. Currently in its development phase, Futura relies on student support to address operational challenges. Specifically, students will play a key role in optimizing the recruitment system, ensuring the project attracts the right participants and mentors for a successful launch.

Project Peniche investigates the implementation of coworking spaces in the Peniche region, specifically designed to bridge the gap between the area’s historic fishing community and Generation Z. The initiative aims to create a shared environment that connects the traditional elderly population with young digital natives. By fostering social cohesion, local entrepreneurship, and community innovation, the project strives to drive future growth in the region. Students will play a critical role in developing this concept, designing a model where traditional wisdom and modern innovation can cowork side-by-side.

Our project is about connecting lisbons society and digital society via Republica and Portuguese social issues we have encountered. Moreover we are working to include both women and men on the same level, since we have found the impending Portuguese society to be patriarchal and traditional.

Project Mare is a strategic initiative dedicated to supporting a local sculptor who transforms recycled driftwood into unique art. The primary objective is to scale the artist’s operations and significantly expand his customer base. By focusing on marketing and brand positioning, the project aims to spread awareness of this zero-waste local business, highlighting it as a prime example of eco-responsible production and sustainable consumption.

Reherit is a luxury initiative dedicated to elevating the status of local Portuguese brands. While Portugal possesses a rich tradition of craftsmanship, its luxury sector often lacks the global recognition of its European neighbors. This project aims to change that narrative. By providing strategic support and amplifying brand visibility, Reherit seeks to help these local artisans and businesses climb the global rankings. Our mission is to prove that true luxury is found in heritage, quality, and authenticity, positioning Portuguese brands as major contenders in the high-end market.

This project is dedicated to fostering a strategic partnership between Lisbon and Silicon Valley with a specific social goal: mitigating gentrification. Recognizing that rapid tech growth often displaces local communities, our mission is to intervene in this dynamic. We aim to raise awareness within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and promote sustainable models of globalization. By guiding how these two hubs interact, we ensure that economic growth strengthens Lisbon’s social fabric rather than eroding it.

Novoluxe investigates the evolving definition of luxury in Portugal, specifically how ‘simplicity’ has emerged as a high-value aesthetic in regions like Comporta. Through expert interviews and trend analysis, our research revealed that this luxury boom—driven primarily by real estate investment—is destabilizing local communities through rising costs and displacement. By utilizing user personas and scenario simulations, we mapped the friction between locals, students, and foreign investors. To bridge this divide, we propose the creation of student-led cultural advisory groups. These bodies serve to guide investors toward community-aligned development, fostering a future where high-end tourism and local culture can coexist sustainably.

Metric Mind rethinks impact measurement by shifting from traditional cold data to more human-centered, contextual warm data. Partnering with ValueFlow and the Zambujal360 UN Ambassador Project, the group investigated how stories, lived experiences, and community dynamics reveal forms of impact that traditional data and numbers often overlook. Through field research with 6th-grade students and residents of the Zambujal social housing neighborhood, Metric Mind demonstrated how qualitative insights such as personal empowerment and community pride, and can uncover deeper forms of social change. Impact should not only be counted, but felt, understood, and contextualized.