The MIT Portugal Program (MPP) is a strategic international partnership between Portuguese universities and research institutions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Portuguese government, as well as partners from industry and other non-academic institutions.
First established in Portugal in October 2006 and renewed in 2013, the program has been developing a research platform for cutting-edge concepts in emerging areas of science and technology including Bioengineering, Sustainable Energy and Transportation Systems and Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing, educating future leaders in science, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation of technological systems.
The program has been a high-profile effort to demonstrate that an investment in science, technology and higher education can have a positive, lasting impact on the economy by addressing key societal issues through quality education and research in the emerging field of engineering systems.
The third phase of the program - MIT Portugal Partnership 2030 (MPP2030) - was launched in June of 2018 and funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). MPP2030 will continue to uphold MIT’s strong commitment to collaborate with Portuguese institutions with the goal of strengthening Portugal’s knowledge base and international competitiveness through strategic investments in research, people, and ideas. The program aims to create a vibrant, interactive and sustainable collaborative platform that can address complex challenges of global and societal impact.
Within the scope of the new partnership, MPP2030 focuses on fostering research in four strategic areas: Climate Science & Climate Change, Earth Systems: Oceans to Near Space, Digital Transformation in Manufacturing, and Sustainable Cities, all of which include data science-intensive approaches and methodologies.
Mission
The Mission of MPP2030 is to foster collaborative research between MIT and Portuguese universities, research institutes, laboratories, and companies, targeting innovative, high-impact ideas and research projects with the full potential to address complex challenges of global and societal impact.