377 million plan to fund almost 12,000 beds for students in residences

  • Lusa
  • 21 July 2022

The programme aims at constructing, acquiring, adapting and renovating residences for higher education students. 134 applications have been selected.

The National Plan for Accommodation in Higher Education (PNAES) will fund the construction of new student residences that will increase the number of beds available by almost 12,000, the government announced on Thursday.

With a total investment of €375 million until 2026, the programme aims at constructing, acquiring, adapting and renovating residences for higher education students, and 134 applications have been selected.

In a statement, the ministry of science, technology and higher education said that the selected applications total 18,239 beds, of which 11,795 are new and the remaining 6,444 result from the requalification of residences already in operation.

The North region will have the largest number of beds financed by the PNAES (5,614), followed by the Centre (4,790) and Lisbon (4,421). In Alentejo, the reinforcement will be 1,991 beds, between new and requalified, 719 in Algarve, 434 in the autonomous region of Madeira and 270 in the Azores.

“The evaluation of the applications favoured proposals characterised by constructive innovation and environmental sustainability, the feasibility of projects and their contribution to improving the adequacy of supply to existing needs,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Erasmus+ National Agency is responsible for managing and monitoring the programme, and according to the call for proposals, published in early 2022, a maximum of €8,500 per bed will be allocated for the requalification and modernisation of existing accommodation.

For the construction of new buildings and for the acquisition and adaptation of existing buildings to be used as accommodation for higher education, the maximum amount is set at €27,500 per bed.

“The implementation of this plan is an unprecedented advance in the quantity and quality of accommodation for higher education students, contributing to greater equity and social justice among those enrolled in universities and polytechnics by significantly reducing the cost of attending higher education,” stressed the ministry.