Calls Exploratory Projects from CMU Portugal, MIT Portugal, and UT Austin Portugal

Applications are now open for Exploratory Calls within the scope of the FCT – CMU Portugal, MIT Portugal, and UT Austin Portugal international partnerships. The call opened on October 11 and will remain open until 5:00 p.m. (Lisbon time) on November 17, 2022.

Proposals submitted to Call be disruptive scientific projects, high risk but with high potential impact, capable of further development and enhancement of the scientific results obtained.

The UT Austin Portugal program seeks to mobilize teams of researchers from the National Scientific and Technological System (SCTN) and the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), as well as business partners, for research activities. The projects to be supported should be capable of stimulating innovation in science and technology in Portugal and promoting the country's international competitiveness, focusing on opportunities associated with the data economy as an engine for growth and change. This Call the following thematic areas: Advanced Computing; Medical Physics for Emerging Cancer Therapies; Nanomaterials for New Markets; and Space-Earth Interactions. Projects will be supported for a maximum period of 12 months, with a total budget allocation of €400,000 for the Call.

The Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) program aims to bring together teams of researchers from Portuguese institutions, CMU, and business partners to develop research activities that promote competitiveness and innovation in science and technology in Portugal's internationalization in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Applications are sought in the field of ICT, with a special focus on the opportunities offered by the data economy as an engine of growth and change. A budget of €400,000 Call earmarked for this Call , and each project will be supported for a period of 12 months.

Applications for the MIT Portugal program should aim to develop research activities between entities of the National Science and Technology System (SNCT), public and private partners, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with a view to creating smart solutions that promote the competitiveness of the Portuguese economy and stimulate multidisciplinary approaches. The planned budget allocation is €400,000, with a maximum funding limit of €50,000 for each project. Projects must address the following thematic areas: Climate Change and Climate Science; Earth Systems: From Oceans to Space; Digital Transformation in Industry; Sustainable Cities; and Data Science.

International Partnerships are a strategic collaboration between Portugal and foreign universities recognized as world leaders in their fields. Their goal is to support the internationalization of national science and technology through a platform for education, research, and innovation, with economic and social impact and benefits. The first Partnerships, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and the University of Texas at Austin (UTA), were launched between 2006 and 2007 by the Government of the Portuguese Republic, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and with the support of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (CRUP).

Since 2018, these programs have been included in the GoPortugal initiative – Global Science and Technology Partnerships Portugal – which expands the initial objectives by associating them with the stimulation of scientific and business development, the promotion and affirmation of Portugal in the world through scientific and economic enhancement, and the innovative agenda on “Atlantic Interactions.” The Calls open are part of the third edition of the exploratory projects of the phase that began in 2018, with 45 projects approved in previous editions, for a total funding of €2,398,605.43.

More information can be found on the CMU Portugal, MIT Portugal, and UT Austin Portugal program pages.