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In an eventful three-day visit to Portugal Nov. 24-26, 2009, MIT President Susan Hockfield had an opportunity to see first-hand the extent of MIT Portugal Program’s research and education efforts, as well as to express her strong support for the Program, to everyone from Portugal’s Prime Minister, José Sócrates, to other Portuguese officials, MIT alumni, company affiliates of the Program, the news media, and MIT Portugal students and faculty.
MIT Portugal – which was launched in October 2006 – is MIT’s largest international collaboration in Europe, and one of the few wide-ranging partnerships to which the Institute has committed its expertise.
Real-World Approaches to Problem Solving
 President Hockfield receiving a jointly awarded honorary doctorate The president attended more than a dozen events and meetings in Lisbon. One emphasis in her remarks at these gatherings was on the value of an MIT Portugal PhD or master’s degree education. MIT Portugal graduates will serve the world “extremely well,” she said, given that they are “focused on some of humanity’s greatest challenges,” appreciate “the importance of working with industry,” are “systems thinkers, who are not afraid to cross boundaries between academic disciplines to advance knowledge,” and “know first-hand the value of global partnerships in the pursuit of new ideas and innovative solutions.”
President Hockfield also expressed gratitude for Portugal’s being a key global ally for MIT in energy, transportation and stem cell research. MIT is “deeply impressed” by Portugal’s “commitment to building the nation’s future through science and technology, education and research, discovery and innovation,” she said.
The president’s overriding theme during her visit was the shared values that exist between Portugal and MIT. “We have felt a deep kinship of values and world view,” she explained, “a shared appreciation for the role of science and engineering in tackling the world’s most pressing challenges, and a commitment to producing innovations and innovators that together drive economic growth.” Her visit coincided with National Scientific Culture Day, and she took the opportunity to express “huge respect” for what is done in Portugal to “advance the values of scientific culture. It is no surprise, she said, “that these efforts are perfectly in tune with the goals, methods and values of the MIT Portugal Program.”
 President Hockfield meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates Of the Program she said, “it is valuable not only in itself, but as a model of a thriving global alliance, a joint program with joint projects that benefits and builds on the strengths of both MIT and a consortium of Portuguese universities. From seven new degree programs to strong new industry relationships, this alliance has already produced very promising results.”
Meetings and Honors
At the venerable Academy of Sciences of Lisbon on November 25, President Hockfield was awarded a joint honorary doctorate from the University of Porto, the Technical University of Lisbon (IST-UTL), and the New University of Lisbon (UNL) – the first award of its kind bestowed in Portugal. During her visit she also took part in events announcing the launch of three leading-edge research and training networks – in sustainable energy systems and electric mobility, the greening of cities, and stem cell engineering – two of which involve MIT’s Energy Initiative (MITEI). (Portugal is a Sustaining Public Member of MITEI.) And she congratulated the first graduates of MIT Portugal’s executive master’s programs during a ceremony in which the graduates received national certificates, the first of their kind in Portugal.
 MIT Prof. Ernest Moniz, Director of the MIT Energy Initiative, at Lisbon's science museum President Hockfield, MIT’s 16th president and the first woman to serve in the role, also met with CEOs from EDP and GALP, two energy company affiliates of the Program, and attended a dinner for the MIT Club of Portugal and MIT Portugal alumni. In addition, she participated in a roundtable organized by the deans of the Lisbon MBA, a collaborative MBA program between the MIT Sloan School of Management and two leading Portuguese business schools, Universidade Católica Portuguesa and Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
In an interview with the Portuguese leading paper,  Expresso, President Hockfield talked about how MIT Portugal’s efforts in the areas of sustainable energy, transportation and cities, as well as stem cell research geared toward regenerative medicine, are helping to enhance Portugal’s global competitiveness in science and technology. ( English translation.)
Photos: Inês Santos |
