40 Years Teaching Health
Founded in Porto in 1982, aiming to promote higher education in the health scientific field, CESPU’s history can be characterized by its pioneering spirit, innovation, sustained growth, by its loyalty to the specialization principle, internationalization of European vocation, by its strong component of social and humanitarian assistance in providing health care services to the communities where it is located and for the pursuit of global quality.
CESPU, CRL, is the entity that established the Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde (IUCS), and the Instituto Politécnico de Saúde do Norte (IPSN), which includes includes 3 schools: Escola Superior de Saúde do Vale do Ave (ESSVA), Escola Superior de Tecnologias da Saúde do Tâmega e Sousa (ESTeSTS) and the Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Tâmega e Sousa (ESEnfTS), with a population around the 4000 students. Currently, through its educational establishments, CESPU offers higher education cycles, between degrees, masters and PhD degrees, as well as post-graduations (non-degree) in the health field. All of these courses are adapted to the Bologna process, being recognized in any country of Europe.
In developing a vertical integration strategy, companies were created or acquired, with the main goal of improving lifelong learning activities and professional training at different levels, as well as the management of health care units, including hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres.
Internationalization has also marked, since its inception, the life of the Institution. CESPU has chosen as principle markets Portuguese-speaking countries, including Angola. More recently it was established the CESPU Brasil, S.A. that intends to develop specialized training and higher education.
Alongside CESPU has strengthened its presence in the Iberian market, through CESPU Europa S.A., based in Spain, and with the historic partnership with the University of Barcelona translated in the integration of CESPU in the Health Universitat Barcelona Campus (HUBc ) project, and the development of IINFACTS, institute dedicated to the research and advanced training in health sciences and technologies.
As a result of the adopted development strategy, CESPU CRL, and associated companies are currently a Group with a diversified range of intervention in the health sector and with a considerable social impact.
The CESPU Group and, in particular, all the elements that constitute its professional team, are guide by the principle that training and employability of their students is always the centre of its institutional mission and strategy, in order to provide the best quality of education.
