We are a Fabrication Laboratory that promotes a culture of Education, Design and Innovation by Turning Thinking Into Doing in Cities.
VIVA Lab is a laboratory for turning ideas into reality which seeks to support businesses, educational institutions, entrepreneurs and communities, by using our digital fabrication facilities to prototype, fabricate and test these ideas in the real world as research, education and design projects.
VIVA Lab is located at the Boavista area, one of the main economical and cultural centres of the city of Porto with connection to several high-tech companies, universities, research and qualification centres.
As the national leading institution of programs for the future of Maker Education we are working closely with school's and university to implement new educational programs and rethinking the education of the future.
We are serving as a model for the development of solutions to local problems which can be scaled, replicated and exported globally creating clusters of innovation and looking for local and international talents.
How we do it? By focusing our efforts in four key strategic areas of expertise.
Areas of Expertise
MAKER EDUCATION
Maker Education Teacher training;
Tailor-made Educational Programs for School's and Universities; Maker & Digital Fabrication Courses; Workshops; Making Our Future Holiday Camps, Lectures.
Industrial Design & Services
Prototyping & Small local pilots for companies, freelancer’s and students; Product & Industrial Design product development ; Design Consultancy;
Open Innovation for Businesses
Immersive activities; Lectures and events; Design team building maker experiences; Stimulate creativity and peer collaboration; Foster multidisciplinary communities within a Fab Lab environment to spark innovation in companies
Social & Environmental Innovation
Developing and deploying sustainable projects & solutions to social and environmental issues in collaboration between government, business, and non-profit institutions. Circular Economy Design, Precious Plastic Machine Building, Precious Plastic training.
Meet The Team
Alexandra Baltazar
Chief Education Officer
Alexandra Baltazar is the Co- founder of VivaLab Porto and a recognized leader in the educational field with over two decades of experience. Since 2012, her work has focused on fostering creativity and innovative educational methodologies. Alexandra champions the Maker Movement, she inspires a new generation to embrace autonomy, collaboration, and responsibility through the power of making and learning by doing.
João Leão
Chief Innovation & Sustainability Officer
Co-Founder & Fab Lab Manager at VIVA Lab;
Industrial Designer;
Social Innovator;
Co-founder of Precious Plastic Portugal;
Assistant Professor at Universidade do Porto
José Miguel Almeida
Chief Creative Officer
For almost 20 years he has developed and monitored architectural projects combining technical and artistic knowledge, and in the last 9 years he has focused his activity on educational, creative and technological areas.