After receiving the distinction in the Institution category, during the Fibrenamics 10th anniversary dinner, the rector of the University of Minho, Rui Vieira de Castro, thanked the recognition and highlighted the commitment with Fibrenamics for its strengthening "(...) through closer relations with partner companies (...)", launching also the appeal to the entities present to also commit themselves to this Association.

Nevertheless, Rui Vieira de Castro also emphasized the unique capacity of the University of Minho to create, over the several decades of its existence, a network of collaborations with partner entities, both public and private, at a national level, which continue to foster the transformation of the economy and society of the region and the country.

Speech by the rector of the University of Minho (audio only available in Portuguese):