The Master’s in Innovation and Research for Sustainability (MIRS) prepares students to tackle critical challenges related to Innovation, Research and Sustainability, three critical dimensions shaping the future of organizations and society.
With an updated curriculum that includes now one course on data science and AI applied to Innovation, Research and Sustainability, this master’s ensures that its graduates are ready to lead in these transformative areas.
Building on the strong foundations of its predecessor, the “Mestrado em Economia e Gestão de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação”, the MIRS programme has decades of expertise and a legacy of successful alumni.
By offering two possible tracks, one in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the other in Research Management and Policy, MIRS prepares its students to harness AI-driven insights and sustainable strategies to create meaningful impact.
Join us to anticipate the challenges of tomorrow and shape the solutions of today.
 | Caixa Geral de Depósitos Merit Award Prize awarded by Caixa Geral de Depósito to the best student in the Master’s in Innovation and Research for Sustainability (with the highest final average). |
The Master in Innovation and Research for Sustainability (MIRS) was designed for those willing to be change agents for sustainability in organizations, society and the economy.
The complexity of incorporating sustainability in economic development and organizational processes will be a key challenge for governance in public and private sector entities over the next decades. MIRS is intended for those committed to be involved in the processes towards a more sustainable future.
Our students will be provided with the theory, concepts and methods to better understand and articulate the roles of research and innovation activities in practice. Among other methods, we adopt active learning strategies based on case-studies, current research projects and transversal workshops. The classes will use both informative and dynamic tools for enhancing collaborative processes and teamwork (namely world cafe exercises, design thinking, scenario methods, 3Dmapping).
MIRS was designed to provide our students with high levels of technical competences, critical judgment for action and significant capacity to collaborate and to build bridges in their organizations, society and the economy.
More and more businesses and public organizations need to have specialists with the capacity to manage technical activities related to research and innovation.
Our students will have the possibility to choose in the second semester between two different tracks, one oriented towards entrepreneurship and innovation and the other oriented towards the administration of research and science.
After attending MIRS, our graduates will have the necessary analytical and communication skills to effectively manage impactful research and innovation for a better and sustainable future.
They will be able to design solutions that maximize the benefits for society and the organizations while minimizing the impact on the ecosystems.
Further, they will be able to integrate science and technology to respond to the grand challenges of climate change and sustainable development, which include larger societal challenges related to poverty elimination, discrimination and segregation, in accordance with the principles and objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
MIRS graduates will follow professional careers in a diversity of areas, such as business companies who adhere to the principles of sustainability, in research and academic institutions, in international development organizations, or in new professions linked to the core issues dealt with in the course.
This Masters is especially for those who wish to obtain a professional specialization in the areas of management and analysis of Innovation, Research and Sustainability, with a view to guaranteeing and enhancing their employability and future career prospects.
| Year 1 – Semester 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| Economics of Innovation | 6 |
| Science, Technology and Society | 6 |
| Innovation Management | 6 |
| Future Studies and Innovation Strategy | 6 |
| Sustainability Sciences and Policy | 6 |
| Year 1 – Semester 2 | Credits |
|---|---|
| Evaluation and Management of R&I Projects | 6 |
| Data Science and AI for Sustainability | 3 |
| Innovative Investments for Sustainable Development | 3 |
| Elective* | 3** |
| Research Methods and Masters Project | 3 |
| Choose your Major: | |
| Major in Innovation and Entrepreneurship | |
| Entrepreneurship | 6 |
| Marketing for Innovation and New Products | 6 |
| Major in Research Management and Policy | |
| Research Management and Public Policy | 6 |
| Research Policy for Sustainability | 6 |
| Year 2 – Semester 1 | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Final Work – MFW • Dissertation • Project • Internship | 30 |
*The list of possible elective courses will be published annually by ISEG.
** At least 3 ECTS.
See the description of each Curricular Units here.
Syallbus for the 2025/2026 academic year approved by the ISEG Scientific Council and subject to approval by A3ES.
Upon successful completion of this Masters programme, you’ll qualify to be awarded a Master’s Degree by Universidade de Lisboa, which is the largest and most internationally recognized Portuguese university.
This Masters programme has a duration of three semesters. In the initial two semesters students take their courses, while in the third semester they do their “masters final work”, which might be a dissertation, a project or a report from an internship carried out in relation to the topics of interest of our programme.
MIRS is in itself an innovative endeavor aiming at offering you a fulfilling experience, one that takes into account the fast pace of change in technologies, professions and society.
By “innovation” we understand the introduction and deployment of new ideas that create value for individuals and society. This might be new products,
new processes, new organizational modes or new business models. Innovations are adopted by individuals, firms, government and other types of entities. In general innovations generate returns for the innovators, while answering problems faced by local communities or society at large.
By “research” we refer to activities organized with the purpose of developing new knowledge. Those activities include the research and development (R&D) performed by business firms and the scientific research carried out by universities and other research organizations.
MIRS is about how research and innovation can be stimulated and pursued in accordance with sustainability principles and objectives. We mean by “sustainability” the ability of using existing resources in an efficient and responsible way, in order to produce benefits for individuals, business companies and society both in the short- and the longer-term, so that sustainable development might be achieved.
In the second semester MIRS branches out in two tracks. One of them is “Innovation and Entrepreneurship”. This stream is intended for those who are seeking to learn more about innovation in a practical context, to further economic and social benefits. For a successful implementation of innovation an entrepreneurial mind is needed. You can be an entrepreneur by setting up a start-up company around your own project, but you can also be an entrepreneur within the organization you work for or in a local community within which you may be willing to make a social innovation to advance.
The other stream is “Research management and policy”. This is intended for those willing to acquire more specialized competencies in order to manage research activities in organizations such as universities, government labs or collaborative research infrastructures that draw together the business and university sectors. With this stream, MIRS brings also the policy perspective, for those interested in the more macro view of public policies towards science, research and technology.
The chart on the previous page provides a rationale for the organization of MIRS. MIRS offers a set of courses which deliver the basic knowledge about the economics, management and social aspects of innovation and research activities. There are several other courses focused on the more practical dimensions, aiming at the acquisition of specific competencies associated with communication, marketing, project appraisal, policy design and evaluation. At the same time, we bring in the strategic dimension, which is essential for advancing innovative and entrepreneurial projects.
A unique characteristic of MIRS is that we are providing those operational and strategic competencies, while keeping an eye on how technologies and science are moving fast forward. MIRS considers innovation and research in the context of global changes, including the most recent advances in science, the digital and energy transformations and climate change. The external ring of the chart displays that perspective. Our “Global Trends” and “Future Studies” courses provide the long-term view and the tools to devise appropriate strategies.
Applications for all masters at ISEG are online.
Applicants to the Master in Innovation and Research for Sustainability are:
All candidates should have a good knowledge of the English language, written and spoken.
These are provisional tuition fees for 2025/26, subject to confirmation by the Universidade de Lisboa statutory bodies.
| Students from | First Year | Second Year | Total |
| Within the European Union | € 3,750 | € 2,000 | € 5,750 |
| Outside the European Union | € 5,250 | € 3,500 | € 8,750 |
Financial restrictions should never come in the way of your access to higher education, and that is why we believe in providing equal opportunities for everyone.
A specific tuition fee payment schedule may be agreed upon request by the student.
If you are not an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, you need a Student VISA.
Once you have decided to join the master’s programme and paid the 1st tuition fee to secure your place, you can issue the acceptance letter on the FENIX Portal. This document will be needed later to apply for a Student Visa. The student visa must be requested at the nearest Portuguese Embassy or Consular Office in the country of origin.
