The EDP University Challenge is back for its 11th edition. The initiative, which is aimed at university students, preferably in the areas of communication and marketing, begins today. Participants must present a communication plan, focused on a business plan, for the territory covered by the Baixo Sabor dam, based on one of the region's greatest assets: natural heritage. The municipalities covered are Alfândega da Fé, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Mogadouro and Torre de Moncorvo, on the banks of the River Sabor in Trás-os-Montes.

The initiative enables university students to collaborate on the sustainable development of a territory to which EDP will be linked for another six decades, the period of validity of the concession for the newly built Sabor dam. It should be noted that EDP has an ambitious nature conservation plan in place, designed to offset impacts and generate value, creating partnerships with the local population.

The EDP University Challenge brings together hundreds of university students from all over the country to this network of local agents, their skills helping to create products, services and initiatives that will increase people's awareness of the intrinsic value of nature, landscapes and traditions in the region. In the 2016 edition, more than 400 students participated.

The EDP University Challenge is a university competition that already has an international dimension, with editions in Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Poland. They all have the same aim: to bring EDP closer to the know-how and talent that exist in the academic world, while contributing to the training of the new generations, putting them in contact with the dynamics of business reality.

The deadline for applications is 15 March, which is followed by an evaluation by an independent jury, whose members will include representatives of EDP and the consultant Premivalor. The best 15 projects will be able to participate in a pitch bootcamp led by the Spark Agency. In the final ceremony, in November, the five finalists will defend their respective proposals on stage, and three winners will be chosen at the event, who will receive a financial prize totalling €13,500 and the opportunity of an internship at EDP.

Competition rules are available at: http://geracaoedp.edp.pt/universitychallenge