With Peter Arzberger, Chair of UT Austin Portugal Program’s External Review Committee

A captivating session led by the esteemed Chair of the Program’s External Review Committee, Peter Arzberger, who will share the Committee’s perspective on the program’s journey during Phase 3 and also its recommendations to chart a course for even more remarkable achievements, based on the independent assessments carried out between 2019 and 2022.

With José Manuel Mendonça, National Director of the UT Austin Portugal Program (PT)

The Program’s Leadership takes stock of the work that has been carried out with the support of key stakeholders to set a vision for the Partnership beyond 2023. The way forward draws on this community’s 16-year legacy to steer its scientific and innovation capabilities to some of the most pressing societal challenges.

With John G. Ekerdt (UT Austin) as Keynote Speaker and Killian Lobato (University of Lisbon) as Chair

Our Energy Future

Climate change, energy security, energy equity and sustainable growth are major drivers shaping our energy future.  Green hydrogen will be pivotal in addressing these drivers.  Hydrogen is needed in decarbonizing manufacturing processes through electrification, and the transportation sectors directly or through electric vehicles.  Long-term hydrogen storage and chemical conversion of hydrogen to alternate liquid fuels, including methanol and ammonia, can overcome the intermittency of solar and wind power.  Portugal and Texas have an abundance of solar irradiance and wind providing the energy to produce green hydrogen through hydrolysis, and are natural partners to advance this energy future.  Our academic institutions have the expertise to undertake the necessary research and the infrastructure to educate the workforce who will ultimately lead this energy future.  The energy future will require an ecosystem that values fundamental research, fosters innovation and encourages start-ups.  Realizing this future will also require investments in research on decarbonization of industrial manufacturing through electrification of process heating, materials discovery for multijunction photovoltaic solar cells, and power grid solutions across all scales to address intermittency, to list a few examples.

With António Vidigal moderating the discussion between Energy thought leaders from the US and Portugal: Brian Korgel (UT Austin Energy Institute), Carla Tavares (Galp), João Maciel (EDP Renewables) and Ricardo Bessa (INESC TEC).

As more countries accelerate their transition to clean energy sources, Portugal, with its unique geographical and climatic advantages, stands poised to play a pivotal role in shaping a greener future through research and deployment of fossil-free energy solutions.

Also, The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been leaving its footprint in the global energy transition by spearheading innovative research, fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations, and educating the next generation of leaders who will drive sustainable and transformative energy solutions.

Join us on an exciting session to explore the path forward, share ideas, and understand the benefits of extending the ongoing collaboration with UT Austin to the energy field to unlock the potential of clean energy in Portugal.

With Paulo Ferreira (INL) at the helm, this round table brings together high-calibre discussants from the Program’s transatlantic community: Ana Pêgo (i3S), Emanuel Tutuc (UT Austin), Lorena Dieguez (INL) and Paula Vilarinho (University of Aveiro).

Nanotechnologies’ potential to drive innovation, improve sustainability, and enhance quality of life makes it a key driver of progress in the 21st century. The pool of talent, knowledge and resources the Program and its transatlantic community have successfully mobilized in Nanotechnologies for almost a decade makes it impossible to ideate the Program’s future without them.

This panel brings experts from both sides of the Partnership to discuss where the collaboration in Nanotechnologies between Portuguese research and innovation actors and The University of Texas at Austin can be more strategic for Portugal and the country’s international standing.

A US diplomat will analyse the importance of R&D cooperation between the EU and the US. A talk that will help improve the understanding of the Program’s past and future contribution to Portugal’s alignment with the EU-US S&T cooperation agenda.

Recently, US and EU officials have agreed to expand R&D collaboration on cancer, climate change, green aviation and other fields and foster research training and mobility, indicating a further warming of transatlantic science relations.

With our eyes laid on the future of the UT Austin Portugal Program after December 2023, this session will be a stock-taking exercise of the long-standing EU-US partnership in Science and Technology (S&T), also to help us understand how bilateral Programs like ours can contribute to the goals of the transatlantic alliance which has reached a new stage of maturity and trust.