MIT Portugal Program Space Week Sponsorship

Eligibility

The sponsorship will be awarded on a competitive basis to students attending Portuguese universities for PhD programs or fifth year students working on their MSc dissertations.

How to apply?

Student applicants must fill out the online application by Friday 31 January. The online application contains three parts detailed below:

1. General information / Academic history and how it connects to space

2. A SIGNED reference letter from a faculty member at your university recommending your application. Letters must be on university letterhead and must include the name of the faculty member and their official university email address and contact information. Applicants will upload these letters themselves.

3. A short two-minute minute video pitching why you should be awarded with a sponsorship to attend Space Week at MIT. You can use your computer webcam or smartphone to record the video. Please record yourself from the shoulders up and stay within the allotted two minutes. Additionally, there is no need for special effects/editing. The video must be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo or other hosting video service, and you need to provide a working URL. We suggest testing the link and be sure the video can be viewed before submitting it.

Application Deadline

Please complete your application by submitting the online application form and sending us the support documentation by Friday 31 January at the latest. If your application is missing some of the required elements by the due date, it will not be considered.

Student Sponsorship Guidelines

• Chosen student will be supported by a travel subsidy of up to $1,400.00 USD
• Travel subsidies are reimbursements provided AFTER you have completed the Space Week events and submitted your trip summary
• In order to ensure that you will receive your student subsidy you should email MIT Portugal ([email protected]) with the proof of purchase of a round trip ECONOMY ticket to Boston, showing your name as the passenger and travel dates within the specified timeframe of Space Week (11-13 March 2020)
• In addition to the ECONOMY-ONLY flight ticket, you may submit your hotel/lodging receipt as long as it reflects the same name and is for the timeframe of Space Week (11-13 March 2020)
• You may also submit food and local transportation receipts (Uber, taxi, MBTA pass) but note that the sponsorship reimbursement has a MAXIMUM of $1,400.00 USD
• The name on the ticket and hotel will match the payee on the reimbursement check, which will be written in US dollars and mailed out in April 2020
• IMPORTANT: We cannot process wire transfers or direct deposits—no special circumstances. Please ensure that you can receive and deposit a printed check from MIT before you apply for the scholarship
• By applying for the sponsorship, you commit to submit a 2-page trip summary with photographs (activities report) upon completion of the trip

GDPR Statement

By applying for the student sponsorship, you agree to have your personal data collected for the purpose of awarding the Student Sponsorship for attending Space Week at MIT. It will not be sold, shared, or made public in any circumstance. By filling out the form you agree to have your data collected by MIT Portugal. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us: [email protected] .

In Summary

Students attending Portuguese universities for PhD programs or fifth year students working on their MSc dissertations are eligible to apply for a student sponsorship to attend Space Week at MIT (11-13 March 2020). MIT Portugal will provide five sponsored students with travel, food, and accommodation reimbursement (a total of up to $1,400.00 USD).