3D Printing of Nitrogen-Rich Nanoporous Carbons for CO2 Capture by Electric Swing Adsorption; 2D photonic memresistive devices for neuromorphic applications; Customized 3D Tumor Models for Precision Radiotheranostic of Glioblastoma — these are three examples of the recently approved Exploratory Research Projects (ERPs), under the UT Austin Portugal Program. This new batch of projects taps mostly into Health and Energy-related challenges.
Spanning Nanotechnologies and Medical Physics – two of the four scientific areas supported by the UT Austin Portugal Program – the eight projects adding up to the International Partnership’s research portfolio have been selected from 37 applications. Each of the selected proposals will receive up to 50,000 euros, amounting to a total of 368,771.80 euros devoted by FCT to the participating Portuguese teams. The Program’s funding at UT Austin will ensure the participation of UT faculty and researchers.
These projects shall last 12 months, during which Portuguese researchers will collaborate with their counterparts from UT Austin and UT MD Anderson Cancer Research Center, in Houston. Researchers from both countries are teaming up to address challenges related to Health and Energy through the development of new cancer therapies or solutions for CO2 capture, among others. Although the research funded through this call is exploratory, it has the potential to lead to promising results and impactful science. In the past, UT Austin Portugal ERPs have leveraged additional funding in competitive calls outside of the Program to get results moving to higher TRLs. Some of those successful stories can be found here.
The results of the 2022 Call for the UT Austin Portugal Exploratory Research Projects followed the deliberations of an independent international evaluation panel and an announcement by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
With the addition of these eight new exploratory projects, the number of ERPs supported by UT Austin in the 2018-2024 period will rise to 24.
