On July 5th, the UT Austin Portugal Program, CMU Portugal Program and MIT Portugal Program will host the thematic Session “FCT International Partnerships: Building bridges across the Atlantic” at Ciência 2023. This year’s edition will take place at Sala de Atos Académicos, Universidade de Aveiro, from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm.

In this session, we will discuss the impact of the FCT Go Portugal international partnerships with the US institutions of Carnegie Mellon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Texas at Austin. The session will commence with an open discussion involving stakeholders from the three Programs. Subsequently, there will be a showcase of three flagship projects that epitomize the existing bridges fostered by these partnerships to promote the internationalization of national scientific and higher education institutions, enhance the competitiveness of Portuguese companies, and facilitate the mobility and development of highly skilled human resources.

Download the Agenda

Agenda

2.30 pm | Opening remarks & Overview Video – “Two decades ago, three bridges rose over the Atlantic, connecting Portugal and the United States of America: the story of FCT’s International Partnerships.”

2.45 pm | Roundtable – “Bridges connect places, shorten distances, break down barriers and bring people closer together: how was my experience as a beneficiary of FCT’s International partnerships?”

With the participation of:

• Nuno Nunes, Co-Director of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program
• Pedro Arezes, National Director of MIT Portugal Program 
• José Manuel Mendonça, National Director of the UT Austin Portugal Program 
• Petia Georgieva, University of Aveiro
• Eunice Costa, Hovione 
• Jorge Sá Silva, University of Coimbra

3.10 pm | Q&A

3.20pm | Project Presentations – “These bridges offered various but unique pathways for talented and bold people, disruptive ideas and scientific knowledge to circulate and mature: what are the outcomes of our collaborative work?” 

With the participation of:

• Carlos Viegas, University of Coimbra, SAFEFOREST Project – introduced by Inês lynce,  Co-Director of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program
• Eduardo Pereira, University of Minho, K2D Project  – introduced by Doug Hart, co-Director of the MIT Portugal Program at MIT
• Tiago Hormigo – Spin.Works S.A – uPGRADE Project – introduced by José Manuel Mendonça, National Director of the UT Austin Portugal Program

3.50 pm | Q&A

4.00 pm | Closing remarks