Portugal - Berkeley Program

The Portugal-Berkeley Program was created in 2024 through a memorandum of understanding between the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley).

The main objective of this strategic partnership 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 program is managed by UC Berkeley's Center for Portuguese Studies (CPS), part of the University's Institute of European Studies, and is funded by FCT, following the signing of a protocol in January 2025 between FCT and CPS, which guarantees funding of around €100,000/year for 3 years, for the implementation of the program, in its various aspects.

In addition, FLAD contributes to supporting the functioning of the PSC, which is responsible for implementing the program to support students and researchers and promoting the involvement of the various academic departments at UC Berkeley with the national scientific community.

Initiatives supported under the FCT/CPS UC Berkeley Protocol - funding opportunities:

• Travel Studentships for doctoral candidates: Financial support for masters graduates from Portuguese universities who participate in the UC Berkeley spring visit (for future doctoral students).
  → 3 Studentships of up to $1,500/each
• Visiting professors from Portugal: Support for visits by Portuguese professors/academics to UC Berkeley departments, covering travel and subsistence expenses.
  → 7 Studentships of up to $3,000/each
• Ana Hatherley - Writer/Artist in Residence Program: Hosting Portuguese writers and artists for short-term residencies at UC Berkeley.
  → 2 Studentships of up to $5,000/each
• UC Berkeley faculty travel to Portugal: Funding for participation in conferences or research activities in Portugal.
  → 7 Studentships of up to $3,000/each
• Acquisition of books in Portuguese for the Doe Library: Annual funding for the acquisition of Portuguese publications.
  → $10,000 allocated/year
• Support for visiting doctoral students: Coverage of university and visa fees for 8 Portuguese PhD students.
  → Total of $13,200/each
• Academic and cultural events at the PSC: Support for the organization of lectures, colloquia and events dedicated to Portugal, the Portuguese language and the Portuguese-American community.
  → $10,000 allocated/year

The Portugal-Berkeley Program also supports Portuguese students or students of Portuguese descent, through the Pinto-Fialon Fund, by awarding Studentships to pursue a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree at UC Berkeley. It also awards research Studentships to doctoral students who need to do research in Portugal or who have been invited to participate in scientific events 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 UC Berkeley PSC is the entity responsible for managing the Protocol in force with the FCT, as well as for managing the Pinto-Fialon Fund, and has an online page with all the information available on the program's various opportunities and respective applications. If you are interested in applying for any of these funding opportunities, please consult this page first.

This program benefits or has benefited from funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, and is one of the measures included in investment RE-C06-i06 - Ciência Mais Capacitação and contracted between the FCT and the Recovering Portugal Mission Structure.