Different cultures and traditions came together, merging differences and bringing experiments in a pioneering moment that is intended to be repeated in the coming years. The goal, said the Director of the Doctoral Programme, was to promote the contact and the exchange between students, Steering Committee and the directors of the Research Centers. António Gomes Correia recalled some of the numbers that are part of the programme, which currently has over 100 enrolled students, and called for a greater students' involvement in the development of the PhD Thesis. The Director of the Steering Committee also took the opportunity to announce the formation of the Doctoral Programme' Day, an also pioneering event, that should happens in June 2013, promoting the presentation of the PhD workplans.
The director of the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Paulo B. Lourenço, who was also present in the Lunch, took the opportunity to wish students a Merry Christmas, especially to those who are away from their home country.