An agreement was signed in Lisbon on July 30, 2009 to form an Engineering Systems Consortium comprised of the 27 educational and research institutions that partner with the MIT Portugal Program. The consortium formalizes these institutions’ collaborations with the Program on advanced R&D projects designed to make significant contributions to Portugal’s economic development, and will help further the goal of fostering collaborative higher education in Portugal.  Prof. António Cruz Serra, President of IST, and Prof. Carlos Costa, President of FEUP, signing the consortium agreement at Ciência 2009. About the consortium, Prof. Carlos Costa, President of the Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto said, "The Engineering Systems Consortium represents an important step for FEUP, as we move ahead with our peer institutions and laboratories to institutionalize the successes to date of the MIT-Portugal Program and work toward future programs of research, industry engagement, and academic innovation in order to benefit Portugal's economy." The consortium agreement, which was signed at the Gulbenkian Foundation at the closing session of Ciência 2009, an annual event that highlights achievements in science and technology in Portugal, acknowledges MIT Portugal’s successes since its launching in October 2006, as well as approval of the Program’s reexamined strategy, which was presented in Lisbon on July 7, 2009 at the 1st Annual Conference, “Engineering for Better Jobs.” Reexamined Strategy The aim of the reexamined strategy is to create competitive advantage for Portugal in Europe despite the global economic crisis, through directed inquiry in advanced areas of science and technology. These areas include sustainable energy and transportation systems; materials and design-inspired products – including those linked to electric vehicles; and new medical therapies, including stem cell engineering and tissue engineering. MIT Portugal addresses the growing complexity of technical systems and the ways in which individuals, networks and societies manage these systems – as well as the growing engagement of social science, economics and engineering in these systems. It does so in the context of Engineering Systems, a growing discipline in which MIT is a world leader. Achievements in Higher Education Among MIT Portugal’s achievements in higher education acknowledged by the new consortium are: - The establishment of first-of-their-kind consortia of universities across Portugal; these involve close collaboration with departments and laboratories at MIT as well as the granting of Portugal’s first national degrees.
- The creation of four doctoral programs and three master’s or advanced studies programs in the areas of bioengineering, engineering design and advanced manufacturing, sustainable energy systems, and transportation systems.
- The enrollment of 154 doctoral students and 75 master’s or advanced studies students to date.
- Increased recognition, in Portugal and internationally, of the Program’s higher education courses, as reflected in the growing number of applications received by the Program. (MIT Portugal received 310 applications for the 2009-10 academic year from students in 60 countries; of the 112 students who have been admitted, 44 percent are international.)
 Image Signers of the consortium agreement. The consortium agreement was signed by the following entities: - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)
- Universidade do Minho, UMinho
- Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra (FCTUC)
- Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa
- Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa
- Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
- Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
- Universidade de Aveiro
- Universidade de Coimbra, através das suas Faculdades de Economia
- Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (ISEG)
- ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
- Centro de Neurociências E Biologia Celular
- Centro de Estudos Sociais (CES)
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular/Instituto Nacional de Engenharia Biomédica (IBMC.INEB)
- Instituto de Biotecnologia e Bioengenharia (IBB)
- Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa (ICS)
- Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores do Porto (INESC-PORTO)
- Instituto de Nanoestruturas, Nanomodelação e Nanofabricação (I3N)
- Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica – LISBOA (ISR)
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB)
- Laboratório Associado de Química Verde Tecnologias e Processos Limpos (REQUIMTE)
- Laboratório Associado em Energia, Transportes e Aeronáutica (LAETA)
- Centro de Excelência e Inovação na Industria Automóvel (CEIIA)
- Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica e Gestão Industrial (INEGI)
- Pólo de Inovação em Engenharia de Polímeros (PIEP)
- Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG)
- Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, I.P. (LNEC)
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