Training Academy
An overview of UT Austin Portugal training initiatives across academic years.
In 2025, the UT Austin Portugal Program enters a new Phase that will run until 2030.
One of the highlights of this phase is the launch of our brand-new Training Academy, designed to equip Portugal’s research and entrepreneurial community, as well as industry professionals, through impactful training initiatives. These include certificate-awarding courses, bootcamps, and professional master’s programs in the Program’s flagship areas, tailored by UT Austin faculty or organized in conjunction with Portugal-based experts.
For a fresh start, we have several standout training offers, spanning from Advanced Computing to Clean Energy, Nanotechnologies and Space-Earth Technologies, scheduled across the current and upcoming academic years. Browse below to learn more and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date.
Courses & Certificates
2026 (upcoming)
Cohort 2 · Spring 2026 · Virtual
Learn the real journey of entrepreneurship – from those who’ve lived it.
Entrepreneurial Foundations is a short, instructor-led course designed for researchers and innovation-driven professionals who want to better understand how entrepreneurial thinking applies to science, technology, and research-based innovation.
Delivered by Melinda Price, Executive Director for Texas Entrepreneurship at University of Texas at Austin, the course focuses on practical frameworks, real-world decision-making, and the translation of research into value-without requiring prior business experience or a startup idea.
This second cohort builds on the successful launch of the course in 2025 and continues the UT Austin Portugal Program’s commitment to strengthening research-to-impact pathways.
What Participants Will Learn
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify opportunities emerging from research activities
- Understand how needs, users, and contexts shape innovation pathways
- Frame value from scientific and technological work
- Explore options for collaboration, licensing, and venture creation
- Communicate ideas clearly to diverse stakeholders
Registrations Open
Build the skills powering the future of microelectronics.
An online, graduate-level certificate from The University of Texas at Austin, supported by the UT Austin Portugal Program, offering advanced training in semiconductor science, processes, and device engineering, a field at the heart of the global technology race.
Format : 100% online and asynchronous · 3 graduate-level courses over ~1 year
Who can take part : Students, engineers, researchers, and professionals affiliated with Portuguese institutions in science, engineering, or related areas
Tuition: 100% covered for selected participants from Portugal under the UT Austin Portugal Program
Fee : $100 non-refundable application fee (required by UT Austin)
Deadline : November 17, 2025
Certificate : Graduate Certificate in Semiconductor Science and Engineering: Semiconductor Processes and Devices (UT Austin)
Course web page → here
2025 (completed)
Registrations Open
Learn the real journey of entrepreneurship — from those who’ve lived it.
A five-week, no-fee UT Austin Portugal short course for researchers, taught by Melinda (“Mellie”) Price, Executive Director for Texas Entrepreneurship and an eight-time entrepreneur. UT Austin certificate with 100% attendance.
- Format: 5 live online sessions · Nov 5, 19, 26 · Dec 3, 10 (3h/week · 15h total). Possibility of office hours.
- Who can take part: graduate and postgraduate students, faculty, scientists, engineers, R&D professionals (no business experience required), affiliated with a Portuguese institution
- Seats: 20–40 (min. 20) · Fees: none · Certificate: UT Austin (100% attendance)
- Instructor: Mellie Price – serial entrepreneur; leads Texas Entrepreneurship at UT Austin
Register now (Sept 23–Oct 15) → (registration form)
About the instructor → (UT Expert profile)
Course web page here.
Registration form closed.
Organized by: Universities of Bergen, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and UT Austin
Format: Blended – Online + Onboard Field Course
Dates: May 5 – August 25, 2025
Area: Space–Earth Interactions
Application Deadline: February 1, 2025
Embark on a transformative learning journey aboard the historic tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl, sailing from Ponta Delgada (Azores) to Nuuk (Greenland). This interdisciplinary course delves into the multifaceted challenges of climate change, integrating perspectives from natural sciences, policy, ethics, indigenous knowledge, and the arts.
Course Highlights:
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Online Component (May 5 – June 28): Weekly lectures and group work introducing climate science, policy frameworks, and human-nature interactions.
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Onboard Field Course: A three-week immersive experience at sea, fostering international collaboration and hands-on learning.
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Final Workshop & Report: Synthesis of insights and collaborative projects developed during the course.
Eligibility & Support:
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Open to PhD students; Master’s students may also apply.
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UT Austin Portugal Program offers five sponsored spots for candidates affiliated with Portuguese institutions, covering onboard accommodation and meals.
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Additional financial assistance for travel and land-based accommodation may be available upon request, subject to eligibility and institutional support.
This course offers a unique opportunity to engage with global experts, contribute to meaningful discussions on climate action, and build lasting networks across disciplines.
Course web page here.
Registration form closed.
Instructor: Dr. Krishna Kumar
Format & Duration: Online (live); 6 hours
Session Hours (PT time): 2 p.m. – 3.30 p.m. | 4 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.
Area: Advanced Computing
Explore the convergence of machine learning and scientific computing in this hands-on course. Designed for engineers, researchers, and data scientists, it covers:
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Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) for solving forward/inverse PDEs
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Operator Learning using DeepONets to speed up simulations
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Differentiable Programming for scientific modeling and optimization tasks
Participants will use tools like PyTorch, JAX, and Google Colab to work through real-world simulations, with applications ranging from environmental modeling to engineering design.
A course certificate will be issued by TxEEE / UT Austin only if participants commit to 100% attendance.
General registration and participation requirements
- As a general rule, eligible trainees must be affiliated with an organization based in Portugal. To this end, and to complete your registration request, you must submit a letter of support from your supervisor/manager or employer on official letterhead.
- All courses will be delivered in English.
- UT Austin will issue a certificate upon completion of the course. If no additional requirements apply beyond attendance, trainees will receive a certificate only if they meet the minimum attendance threshold. Please refer to the course description for the specific number of hours required for certificate eligibility.
Contacts
For queries related to:
- Course content and structure and assessment: Marco Bravo, UT Austin – bravo@utexas.edu
- Eligibility requirements, registration guidelines and form: UT Austin Portugal office in PT – info@utaustinportugal.org
