Results of Calls Exploratory Projects from MIT Portugal and CMU Portugal

This week, FCT published the results of applications Calls Exploratory Projects under the MIT Portugal 2021 and CMU Portugal 2021 Programs. In Call MIT Portugal 2021Call , which received 22 eligible applications, eight projects were selected for funding, with a total investment of €386,795. The CMU PortugalCall , with 33 eligible applications, resulted in six projects being proposed for funding, with a total investment of €390,580.

The exploratory research projects under the MIT Portugal 2021 Program are aimed at developing high-performance technological products and services, between public and private partners and entities of the National Scientific and Technological System (SCTN). The approved projects will further develop research in the following areas: analysis of the environmental and climatic record of Portuguese speleothems; CO2 recycling with plasmas; spatio-temporal data models and algorithms for earth sciences; ionic liquids and porous structures for CO2 recovery; eutectic systems as sustainable electrolytes for energy storage, biomimetic-inspired hyperloop ocean transport infrastructure, interface engineering for a new generation of lithium-ion batteries, and 3D printing of molecular texture in plastics.

The Exploratory Research projects of the CMU Portugal 2021 Program are designed to support teams of researchers from Portuguese institutions, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and business partners in initiating research activities with high potential for impact and strategic relevance to the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal). The projects will develop research in areas as diverse as: data science applied to healthcare, satellite creation (PocketQube), human-robot interaction, traffic supervision for cybercrime investigation, artificial intelligence applied to the design of customizable robotic exoskins, and the detection of injection vulnerabilities in node applications.

The MIT Portugal and CMU Portugal programs are part of a network of international cooperation programs between Portugal and institutions in various countries under the goPORTUGAL – Global Partnerships in Science and Technology initiative, promoted by FCT. It includes partnerships with other leading US universities, such as UT Austin-Portugal and Harvard Medical School, but also with institutions in other countries, such as Imperial College London and Fraunhofer. Cooperation with international institutions under this initiative enhances the internationalization of scientific and technological research, promoting innovation in research and the mobility of researchers, and creating opportunities for the emergence and growth of new science and technology-based companies.