The MIT-Portugal Program enters Phase 4
Cambridge, MA & Lisbon, Portugal – The pioneering MIT-Portugal Program (MPP), a beacon of international academic and research collaboration, has officially launched its ambitious fourth phase. Marking nearly two decades of groundbreaking partnership, the program has signed an agreement with the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) to continue its impactful work through 2030, charting new frontiers in crucial areas such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, space, and climate change.
Since its inception 19 years ago, MPP has fostered remarkable success. Its legacy includes enabling 47 entrepreneurial spinoffs, funding over 220 joint research projects between MIT and Portuguese institutions, and nurturing a generation of exceptional researchers across the Atlantic. This deep-seated collaboration has built a unique synergy, as highlighted by Douglas Hart, MIT mechanical engineering professor and MPP co-director. “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,” Hart states. “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.”
The new agreement, signed in March 2025, sees MPP continue to push boundaries. John Hansman, the T. Wilson Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT and MPP co-director, emphasized the program’s commitment to advancing existing projects while embracing new strategic areas. These new focal points for Phase 4 include chips/nanotechnology, energy (a renewed focus from Phase 2), artificial intelligence, and space, alongside continuing critical work from Phase 3 in climate science, Earth systems (oceans to near space), digital transformation in manufacturing, and sustainable cities. “We are opening up the aperture for additional collaboration areas,” Hansman noted.
Portuguese and MIT leadership underscored the profound importance of this continued partnership. Fernando Alexandre, Portugal’s Minister for Education, Science, and Innovation, stated, “Over the past two decades, the partnership with MIT has built a foundation of trust that has fostered collaboration among researchers and the development of projects with significant scientific impact and contributions to the Portuguese economy. In this new phase of the partnership, running from 2025 to 2030, we expect even greater ambition and impact.” MIT President Sally Kornbluth echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that “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.”
MPP’s multifaceted approach encompasses an annual research conference, educational summits like the Innovation Workshop at MIT each June, and the Marine Robotics Summer School in the Azores every July. These initiatives, coupled with robust student and faculty exchange programs, facilitate invaluable collaborative research. During Phase 3 alone, MIT hosted 131 students and 49 faculty and researchers from Portugal, while 59 MIT students and 53 faculty and researchers visited Portugal, demonstrating the vibrant exchange fostered by the program.
A key shift in Phase 4 is a renewed emphasis on educational exchanges and entrepreneurship, building on the strong foundation of collaborative research. This includes plans to significantly increase the number of Portuguese students coming to MIT for studies and research, fostering even closer ties between the academic communities.
The program’s longevity and impact on Portugal’s development are undeniable. Douglas Hart observes, “The Portugal of today is remarkably stronger than the Portugal of 20 years ago, and many of the places where they are stronger have been impacted by the program.” Hansman highlights contributions to sustainable cities and “green” energy, while Hart points to a significant increase in start-up companies emerging from Portuguese universities. A recent analysis of MPP and FCT’s international collaborations further reinforced these outcomes, noting enhanced Portuguese research capacities, organizational upgrades in the national R&D ecosystem, and the education of 198 Portuguese PhDs.
MPP offers unique value to MIT and the broader US science community, particularly through its consistent focus on the Atlantic. The annual Marine Robotics Summer School on Faial Island in the Azores is a prime example, providing unparalleled opportunities for ocean research due to Portugal’s unique marine facilities and strong investment in climate change research. Stefanie Mueller, TIBCO Career Development Associate Professor in MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering departments, highlighted how MPP enabled her team to test research prototypes in diverse aquaculture environments, building on expertise from Portuguese collaborators like Dr. Ricardo Calado. She cited the work of MIT PhD student Charlene Xia, whose research on monitoring seaweed farm microbiomes benefits directly from this collaboration, with Xia having participated in and returned to the Marine Robotics Summer School as a teaching assistant.
As MPP embarks on its next phase, Hart and Hansman are optimistic about broadening its impact. They envision expanding the program’s reach beyond core science fields into technical areas like AI and micro-nano manufacturing, as well as social sciences and humanities, with the goal of involving a wider range of people at both MIT and in Portugal.
