Access to Education

The Gulbenkian Foundation aims to give young people the chance to make educational and professional choices regardless of their socio-economic background, enabling them to fulfil their learning potential, realise their talents and become positive role models for change within their community.

According to OECD data, Portugal invests less in education than the international average, ranking among the countries that invest the least in higher education. Currently, fewer than 17% of higher education students receive support from the Social Action Fund, with around 75% of beneficiaries receiving only the minimum grant. Consequently, a significant proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds do not receive the support they need to continue their university studies. More than 10% of students drop out of higher education in their first year due to financial difficulties, and 26% do not complete their degree within six years.

In other education cycles, more than a third of pre-school, primary and secondary school students receive support from School Social Action (ASE). In Portugal, over 400,000 students are considered to be in a state of greater socio-economic vulnerability.

In 2021, regardless of their abilities, the percentage of students from this group who progressed to higher education was 35% lower than the percentage of students who did not receive social support. There is an “intergenerational transmission of education”, whereby young people’s access to higher education is greatly affected by their parents’ level of education. According to OECD data from 2025, only 23% of Portuguese people aged 25-34 whose parents did not complete secondary education went on to complete a higher education course. By contrast, this figure rises to 73% among young people whose parents are highly educated, which is 50 percentage points above the OECD average. 

The transition to working life hasn’t been easy either. The youth unemployment rate is 18% (higher than the European average of 15%), while around 8.7% of young people are not in education, employment or training (lower than the European average). Furthermore, more than 50% of employed young people aged 18-24 have temporary contracts.

These indicators reveal that inequalities still persist, restricting the potential of children and young people and undermining social cohesion.

Conversely, the Portuguese education system lacks a comprehensive ecosystem to nurture talent. This would require an integrated set of policies, programmes, methodologies and opportunities designed to identify, monitor and develop students’ individual abilities throughout their academic journey. The system currently favours standardisation in education, which makes it difficult to create personalised learning paths that recognise and nurture specific talents, be they academic, artistic, scientific or technical.

In a country where social mobility is limited, investment in education is low, and educational and professional opportunities are heavily influenced by socio-economic background, the Gulbenkian Foundation aims to reduce inequalities, promote talent and leadership skills, and enable all young people to participate fully in social, cultural and economic life.

Our approach

Since its establishment, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has promoted equal opportunities by offering scholarships across all academic disciplines, including science, the humanities, and the arts. It has also supported initiatives and projects that develop the skills of children and young people, strengthening the connection between school, family, community and professional future. This in-depth project distinguishes this area of intervention, setting a new benchmark for the Foundation.

This support is currently focused on four areas: Gulbenkian Scholarships, Gulbenkian Study Centres, Gulbenkian Aprender (Learning) and Gulbenkian Empregar (Employment).

Key areas of action

Gulbenkian Scholarships

Given the strong correlation between socio-economic status and educational indicators such as school performance, academic achievement, repetition and drop out, the situation requires a systemic change to reverse it. One of the key actions involved in this change is awarding more and better scholarships.

The aim of these scholarship programmes is to identify high-potential students and provide them with the necessary support to help them overcome adverse social situations, develop their talents, and encourage them to work in fields that are not considered priorities by governments and funding agencies, but which are essential for building a sustainable society.

By awarding scholarships, access to high-quality education is ensured, allowing potential talent to flourish. The Gulbenkian Scholarships thus helps to create better employment opportunities.

Merit in higher education

We support high-achieving students from any field of study who come from a less affluent background, from their first year of a bachelor’s degree until they complete a master’s degree.

The scholarship awarded also includes support for a period of study outside Portugal. This support for international mobility aims to provide more students with the opportunity to study abroad, experience different cultures, and develop resilience. These are valuable skills that will give students an advantage when they enter the labour market later in life.

New Talents in research

The New Talents programme is designed to identify and nurture talent. Besides providing financial support, it gives scholarship holders access to mentoring, training workshops and monitoring by a scientific committee.

We believe that identifying young talent is more challenging in a large-scale educational setting. This is why we have adopted an approach aimed at providing an immersive experience that encourages research.

Explora Talento

The “Explora Talento” (Exploring Talent) programme selects finalists and winners of the School Olympiad, providing ongoing support throughout secondary school. This includes scholarships for enrichment activities, boot camps, and interdisciplinary scientific retreats. Throughout the programme, scholarship holders are supported by mentors from the New Talents in Higher Education scheme. They also have the opportunity to meet scientists, artists, and other professionals, to explore their abilities and consider their future, and to participate in cultural activities and an online English course.

Arts training

To help young artists start and continue their careers in the arts, we award scholarships to support their academic and technical training abroad.

The programme aims to broaden horizons by providing access to international opportunities and creating global networks in schools, placing artists at the heart of the creative process.

Africa

Scholarships for students from developing countries are an important way of increasing the number of qualified professionals in their home countries, as well as promoting merit-based access to higher education.

Through this scholarship programme, we believe that we are promoting educational and scientific mobility, as well as contributing to the development of the countries of origin of the scholarship holders.

Gulbenkian Study Centres

In line with the Gulbenkian Foundation’s commitment to educational equity, the Gulbenkian Study Centres – promoted by local community organisations – provide high-quality learning opportunities for students from schools in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area affected by poverty and social exclusion.

This pilot project will test a support model for learning during the out-of-school time, including school holidays, aimed at primary and secondary school children and young people.

The initiative’s goal is twofold: to promote school success and to help reduce educational inequalities in vulnerable groups.

The Gulbenkian Study Centres’ intervention model focuses on improving students’ proficiency in Portuguese, Mathematics and English, with the support of teachers and tutors. The aim is to strengthen the relationship between the school, families and the wider community, thereby increasing interaction and creating opportunities to identify and address risk behaviour. The intervention promotes mentoring between young people and adult role models, enabling the development of pro-social skills, particularly through the Gulbenkian Scholars Network. The Centres also organise activities that encourage children and young people to explore learning and new horizons outside their local area (e.g. study visits and cultural activities).

Gulbenkian Aprender

Children and young people who excel at school and are part of vulnerable social groups and beneficiaries of school social action support will be offered educational and material support on an ongoing basis from Years 5 through 12. The initiative will initially support 150 children and young people, with the goal of supporting 400 every year from the third year onwards.

The educational support focuses on deepening basic academic skills (English, reading, writing, and maths), but also transversal skills (self-regulation, metacognition, communication, among others). Mentoring, social, cultural and curricular enrichment activities will also be offered.

Grants will be given to support families and meet the basic needs of children and young people, including providing them with school supplies, equipment, eye health care, and dental care. A parental skills development programme will also be offered to encourage the adoption of healthy routines and lifestyle habits.

The Gulbenkian Aprender initiative is a wide-ranging partnership developed in Tâmega e Sousa region, involving local authorities, schools, local organisations and universities. The Tâmega Business Institute is responsible for regional coordination.

Gulbenkian Empregar

The “Gulbenkian Empregar” (Gulbenkian Employment) initiative aims to improve financial security and employment rates, as well as the quality of employment, for young people from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. 

Funding will be awarded to innovative projects that can be replicated and that promote or improve the employability of young people aged 16-34 who are not in education or training, and who are either unemployed or in precarious, low-skilled or low-paid jobs.