The Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program established a very close relationship with Portuguese industry, namely through the companies that are part of its industrial Affiliates Program. By becoming CMU Portugal Industrial Affiliates, these companies commit to actively contributing to the advanced education and research programs of the partnership, and also to increase their competitiveness by investing in R&D, in advanced training of human resources, and in building a highly skilled workforce dedicated to innovation activities.
When the program entered its 3rd phase in 2018, it established new cooperation agreements with multiple industrial affiliates.