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NAU
by NAU
What NAU is
NAU is a Portuguese web platform for publishing and taking open or closed online courses in educational, scientific, cultural, and training subjects. Its catalog contains hundreds of courses from higher education institutions and public or private organizations, with mixed course formats. Learners who complete a course successfully receive an automatically generated participation certificate; these certificates generally confirm completion rather than professional qualifications or academic degrees. NAU offers a free plan, while paid access starts at €20, and business plans support organizational use. Eligible entities can publish open courses, restrict courses to defined audiences, or create a corporate academy, with ongoing technical and user support. NAU is a digital service of Portugal’s Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, developed by FCCN, and has operated since 2019. The learning system is based on Open edX and the marketing site on Richie.
Who it suits
NAU suits learners seeking online education and organizations publishing open, restricted, or corporate courses. It is particularly aimed at broad audiences and continuous learning in Portugal.
What it does well
- Hundreds of courses
- Free plan available
- Certificates for completed courses
- Business and corporate academy options
- Mixed course formats
What to know first
- Certificates generally are not degrees or qualifications
- Website is only partially conformant
- Some videos lack captions or transcripts
- Paid access starts at €20
Verdict
NAU combines a broad Portuguese course catalog with learner certificates and organizational publishing tools. Its free plan supports entry, while paid access from €20 and business options address expanded use.
Facts from NAU's own pages
- Accessibility
- NAU's accessibility statement says the website is partially conformant with Portugal's Decree-Law 83/2018 and notes issues including some inaccessible video-player behavior and videos without captions or transcripts. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Account access
- NAU terms state that users can access the platform through IP addresses communicated by their participating institution, with remote access possible through institution-implemented VPNs or proxies. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Account options
- The privacy policy says users can create accounts manually or automatically using the Portuguese citizen card, Chave Móvel Digital, or European eIDAS authentication. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Audience
- NAU aims to provide knowledge, challenges, and skills to large audiences and promote continuous learning and digital literacy, particularly in Portugal. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Business plans
- Yes · nau.edu.pt, 22 Sept 2026
- Certificate charges
- The privacy policy mentions processing personal data during payment for course completion certificates; it does not state a certificate price. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Certificate limits
- NAU participation certificates prove learning and course completion but do not grant a professional qualification or academic degree, except where a course page clearly identifies an applicable exception. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Certification
- A participation certificate is generated automatically for learners who complete a course successfully, and NAU's direct participation certification process is free. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Course catalog
- The platform offers hundreds of courses across different areas, developed by higher education institutions and other public and private entities. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Course certificates
- Yes · nau.edu.pt, 22 Sept 2026
- Course formats
- mixed · nau.edu.pt, 22 Sept 2026
- Data transfers
- The privacy policy states that some personal data transfers for NAU infrastructure management go outside the EEA, including to the United States, with contractual and technical safeguards. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2019 · nau.edu.pt, 28 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · nau.edu.pt, 22 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Lisbon, Portugal · nau.edu.pt, 28 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- FCT and edX LLC jointly control personal data collected for course promotion, and the privacy policy says edX hosts FCT partner courses on edx.org and shares course viewing, enrollment, performance, and completion data. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Intended reach
- NAU aims to provide education and training to broad user communities and promote continuous learning and digital literacy, particularly in Portugal. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The platform says it uses multiple open-source components and publishes a list of its own public repositories. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Operating since
- The platform has been operating since 2019. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Operator
- NAU is a digital service of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), developed by FCCN. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Partner organizations
- Legal entities may join to publish open online courses, provide courses to specific audiences, offer restricted courses, or create a corporate academy. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Partner support
- NAU says partners receive ongoing technical support for the infrastructure and user assistance. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Partner use
- Eligible collective entities can publish open courses, offer courses to specific audiences in an exclusive environment, provide closed restricted courses, or create a corporate academy. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
- Privacy and security
- FCT says it encrypts and anonymizes stored personal data where possible, limits access by least privilege, and applies technical and organizational security measures. · nau.edu.pt, 12 Oct 2026
Where NAU stands on Freedom251
- Online Course Marketplaces#73 of 138