The Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities (AULP) held its board meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. The meeting was chaired by João Nuno Calvão da Silva, president of AULP and vice rector of the University of Coimbra. Rui Martins, vice rector of the University of Macau (UM), attended the meeting on behalf of UM, which is one of the vice presidents of the association.

During the meeting, the board approved the report of activities and accounts for 2023 and the budget for 2024. They also held in-depth discussions on several issues related to the association, including the publication of the International Journal in Portuguese Language (RILP), which is indexed in several international databases; the Fernão Mendes Pinto Prize, which selects the best master’s or PhD thesis in Portuguese language every year; and the AULP Mobility Programme that has attracted more than 500 student applicants from Portuguese-speaking countries and regions (including the Macao SAR) this year. The board members also confirmed the result of the Fernão Mendes Pinto Prize for 2023.

The 33rd AULP Annual Meeting was confirmed to be hosted by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) from 24 June to 26 June 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rui Martins also proposed to host the AULP Annual Meeting in Macao in 2026. The suggestion was well received by the board members and will be included on the agenda of the next meeting for further discussion and confirmation.

In addition, João Nuno Calvão da Silva presented Rui Martins with a certificate of honorary membership of AULP in recognition of his significant contribution to the association over the years. The certificate has been awarded to only five individuals in the world. Rui Martins, who was honoured in 2021, received the certificate in person during the meeting.