The First TUMO Center in Portugal to Open in 2023

• 01.26.2023, 13:44
•  Europe,  World,  Armenia,  No-politics

The first TUMO center in Portugal will open in Coimbra, one of the country's most historic cities, and home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. The center will be located in the city’s iconic old postal office building, 2,000 square meters of which will be renovated specially for the TUMO project. 

TUMO Coimbra will give 1,500 teens tuition-free access to eight focus areas: 3D modeling, animation, game development, programming, music, graphic design, filmmaking, and robotics. Registration will open in the second quarter of this year. 

"There is a structural need to prepare the next generation for the digital economy. Access to extracurricular education in the areas of tech and design is typically limited to a few students through private classes, and offering it for free promotes equal opportunities for everyone. TUMO’s education is uncomplicated and accessible, it’s an effective way to create immediate and widespread impact,” mentioned Pedro Santa Clara, CEO of Shaken not Stirred, TUMO’s partner in Portugal on January 25th during a signing of an MoU with sponsors and partners of the project. 

The opening of TUMO Coimbra marks the beginning of a campaign to expand TUMO centers across the country. Shaken not Stirred announced that more centers are expected to open in Portugal in the coming years. TUMO’s launch in Portugal is a great example of the unified efforts of community representatives in tech and education; the project’s supporters, entrepreneurs, and foundations contributed close to seven million euros to the project. 

“When we visited Portugal for an initial set of meetings, we became very passionate about the project, because we saw the huge potential in the country, coupled with the support of the tech community and the eagerness of young people looking to augment their digital skills. It is today’s teenagers that will be called upon to create the future in the decades to come. To us it feels like the right time to invest in the teenagers of Portugal,” mentions Pegor Papazian, TUMO head of development.

Over the past five years, TUMO has established centers across Europe, in France, Germany, Switzerland, Albania, Ukraine, and other locations. The next TUMO will open in Los Angeles, with funding from the State of California and in partnership with the city of LA. In 2023, TUMO will also significantly expand its network within Germany and France and is in ongoing discussions to open a center in Italy. 

TUMO’s international expansion has a significant impact on its mission, as every center that opens abroad helps sustain the operations of the expanded network in Armenia and Artsakh.