MIT-Portugal Program Enters Phase 4: A Renewed Focus on AI, Nanotechnology, and Climate Solutions

The MIT-Portugal Program (MPP), a pioneering collaboration between MIT and Portuguese institutions, is embarking on its fourth phase, solidifying nearly two decades of successful partnership. This new chapter, formalized in an agreement between MIT and the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), extends the program through 2030, promising continued exploration of innovative solutions in critical fields such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and climate change.

Over the past 19 years, MPP has fostered significant achievements, including the creation of 47 entrepreneurial spinoffs and the funding of over 220 joint projects. The program has also played a crucial role in training a new generation of researchers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Douglas Hart, MIT mechanical engineering professor and MPP co-director, emphasizes the value of the program’s longevity. “One of the advantages of having a program that has gone on so long is that we are pretty well familiar with each other at this point. Over the years, we’ve learned each other’s systems, strengths and weaknesses and we’ve been able to create a synergy that would not have existed if we worked together for a short period of time,” he said.

The next phase will build upon existing research projects while incorporating new areas of focus identified by both MIT and FCT. Fernando Alexandre, Portugal’s minister for education, science, and innovation, highlights the foundation of trust built over the past two decades. “In this new phase of the partnership, running from 2025 to 2030, we expect even greater ambition and impact — raising Portuguese science and its capacity to transform the economy and improve our society to even higher levels, while helping to address the challenges we face in areas such as climate change and the oceans, digitalization, and space,” Alexandre stated.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth underscored the importance of international collaborations. “International collaborations like the MIT-Portugal Program are absolutely vital to MIT’s mission of research, education and service. I’m thrilled to see the program move into its next phase,” Kornbluth said. “MPP offers our faculty and students opportunities to work in unique research environments where they not only make new findings and learn new methods but also contribute to solving urgent local and global problems. MPP’s work in the realm of ocean science and climate is a prime example of how international partnerships like this can help solve important human problems.”

MPP’s structure includes an annual research conference, educational summits, student and faculty exchanges, and collaborative research initiatives. In Phase 3 alone, 59 MIT students and 53 faculty and researchers visited Portugal, while MIT hosted 131 students and 49 faculty and researchers from Portuguese institutions.

While Phase 3 focused on climate science, Earth systems, digital transformation in manufacturing, and sustainable cities, Phase 4 will expand its scope to include chips/nanotechnology, energy, artificial intelligence, and space. John Hansman, the T. Wilson Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT and MPP co-director, notes, “We are opening up the aperture for additional collaboration areas.”

Phase 4 will also place greater emphasis on educational exchanges and entrepreneurship, alongside collaborative research. Hart added, “We have approval in Phase 4 to bring a number of Portuguese students over, and our principal investigators will benefit from close collaborations with Portuguese researchers.”

A recent analysis of MPP and FCT’s U.S. collaborations highlighted enhanced Portuguese research capacities, promoted organizational upgrades in the national R&D ecosystem, and provided opportunities for Portuguese institutions to engage in complex projects. The report also noted that MPP has facilitated the education of 198 Portuguese PhDs.

The program also benefits MIT and the broader U.S. science and research community. One consistent theme has been a “joint interest in the Atlantic,” with initiatives like the Marine Robotics Summer School in the Azores providing unique research opportunities.

Stefanie Mueller, a professor at MIT, highlights the program’s impact on research related to monitoring the aquatic microbiome. “The MIT-Portugal Program has been a key enabler of our research on monitoring the aquatic microbiome for potential disease outbreaks,” Mueller said.

Looking ahead, Hart and Hansman are optimistic about the program’s continuing success and its potential for broader impact. They aim to involve more individuals and groups from both MIT and Portugal, extending the program’s reach into technical fields, social sciences, and humanities.