• strength in teaching, research and service provision activities, responsive, in terms of both form and content, to the actual needs of the user;
   
• originality, in the institution’s ability to present itself with methodologies integrating theory and practice, and with a flexible organisational structure that can give a balanced appreciation to issues of identity and difference;

• multidisciplinarity, as the approach integrating diverse fields of knowledge in order to find solutions to complex problems, combining the economic, environment and social aspects of sustainability; 

• partnership internally, with the academic institutions and with other public and private organisations, in order to act in a synergic and efficient manner;
   
• innovation, as a constant fundamental objective, in order to adopt a proactive stance in predicting the future developments of a rapidly evolving situation;
   
• territoriality, when executing the institutional mandates, indicating the special focus placed on the needs of the reference region;
   
• internationality, to create opportunities for international mobility and cooperation for teachers, researchers and students.

When implementing a project or providing a service, each element can be combined with one or more other areas, while never losing sight of the context, the recipients or the desire to gain experience and to stand out in terms of the approaches adopted and solutions proposed.