Opinion.

José Gabriel Andrade*

What can creativity transform in an era of artificial intelligence and uncertainty? This was the question that brought together Isabel Capeloa Gil, Sergia Adamo, and Pedro Abrunhosa at MUZEU in Braga, as part of an initiative by the Portuguese Catholic University organized during Creativity Week.

From the conversation, what stands out most to me is an idea championed by the president of Católica: the university should be a space for experimentation, where there is freedom to question, take risks, fail, and try again. Creativity does not arise from comfort, but from the encounter between different forms of knowledge, experiences, and ways of thinking.

At a time when innovation is so often discussed in terms of its economic value, it is important to remember another dimension: education is not a product. It is a process of human development, of building critical thinking, and of creating possibilities. Universities cannot limit themselves to responding to the demands of the present. They must also help us imagine futures.

Pedro Abrunhosa’s music and Sergia Adamo’s reflections on language reminded us that creativity does not belong exclusively to technology or the economy. It is found in art, culture, communication, and the human capacity to ascribe new meanings to the world.

But there is still one aspect that deserves to be highlighted: the regional dimension. Events like this one show that creativity is also fostered by bringing institutions and communities closer together.

The Cávado and Alto Minho regions offer unique conditions for furthering this path. The University of Minho, the Portuguese Catholic University, the Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave, and the Polytechnic University of Viana do Castelo, along with other scientific and cultural institutions, form a knowledge network whose strength lies precisely in cooperation.

Rather than competing for prominence, it is important to create spaces for collaboration among universities, businesses, cultural institutions, and citizens—spaces capable of transforming creativity into regional development.

Creativity takes on true meaning when it ceases to be merely an individual capacity and becomes a collective endeavor. This is also how regions with a strong identity and confidence in the future are built.

* Professor at the Universidade do Minho