FCT and FLAD sign new protocols with the University of California

In January, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) signed new cooperation agreements under the Portugal-Berkeley Program.

Created in 2025 through a memorandum of understanding between the three institutions, the main objective of the Portugal-Berkeley Program is to promote academic exchange and scientific collaboration between Portuguese universities and UC Berkeley, while strengthening ties with the Portuguese-American community in California. The new agreements establish a framework for cooperation that aims to benefit students, researchers and the academic community in both countries.

The FCT and the Center for Portuguese Studies at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) have signed a protocol that includes the annual award of three Studentships to cover the travel costs of students with a master's degree from a Portuguese higher education institution who have been invited to do their doctorate at UC Berkeley, seven Studentships for visiting professors affiliated with a Portuguese higher education institution at UC Berkeley, two Studentships for participation in the Ana Hatherly Residency Program for writers/artists of Portuguese literature or art living in Portugal, and seven Studentships to support UC Berkeley professors and researchers for conferences and research in Portugal. In addition, it includes support for the acquisition of Portuguese-language books for UC Berkeley's central library (Doe Library), funding for university service fees and visas for eight visiting Portuguese PhD students at UC Berkeley, as well as support for conferences, colloquia and events at UC Berkeley's Center for Portuguese Studies, dedicated to Portugal and the Portuguese diaspora. This initiative is funded by FCT to the tune of €285,000 (€95,000/year) and will run for three years, from 2025 to 2027.

For its part, FLAD, a partner of the Center for Portuguese Studies at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) since 1998, has signed a new Protocol to ensure the hiring of an Executive Director of the Center. This position will ensure the operationalization of initiatives related to the Portugal-Berkeley Program, support for the students and researchers involved, as well as communication efforts and involvement of the different faculties and departments at Berkeley with a view to greater adherence and leveraging of the opportunities offered. This initiative has funding of $150,000 ($50,000/year) from FLAD and will last for 3 years, from 2025 to 2027.

The Portugal-Berkeley Program also supports Portuguese students or students of Portuguese descent and, through the Pinto-Fialon Fund, awards Studentships to pursue a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree at UC Berkeley. In addition, it offers research Studentships to PhD students who need to do research in Portugal or who have been invited to participate in a conference in Portugal and to undergraduate students who will participate in the new internship program at the Pedro Nunes Institute, established in cooperation with FLAD/Study in Portugal Network and the University of Coimbra.

The Center for Portuguese Studies at UC Berkeley, part of the Institute for European Studies, is the entity responsible for managing this program, and has an online page with all the information available on the various opportunities of the program and the respective applications.