Portugal allocates nearly €24 million for new university campuses in Santarém and Lisbon

The municipality of Santarém announced that the former volunteer fire station will be converted into an extension of the ISLA Santarém campus. The three‑storey project will include new classrooms and a 250‑seat auditorium, with an investment of about €4 million. Works are slated to begin in the first half of 2027, and historic tile panels will be preserved as part of the city’s Centro Vivo 2025‑2035 urban regeneration programme.

Separately, a €20 million investment will fund a new student residence on the NOVA FCT Campus in Caparica. Developed by DSTrealestate in partnership with KKR Investimentos, the five‑storey building will provide 280 beds across 254 units and will use industrialised construction methods supplied by ZETHAUS. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and finish in 2028, aiming to ease the student‑housing shortage and attract talent to the university’s science and engineering programmes.