On May 16th 2024, the CMU Portugal Academy was officially launched at the event “Partnerships for Tomorrow’s Education: Building Future Jobs for a Digital Portugal.”The event was held at the Unicorn Factory, Hub Criativo do Beato, and included the presence of the Portuguese Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre; the Administrator of Santander Group Miguel Belo de Carvalho and from the Santander Foundation, Inês Rocha de Gouveia; the Vice-President of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) Francisco Santos; and the President of Instituto Superior Técnico Rogério Colaço.
The CMU Portugal Academy is an initiative of Instituto Superior Técnico and the Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI), in partnership with the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal) and with the support of the Santander Portugal Foundation. It is designed to empower future professionals through advanced training programs in digital technologies. The deadline for applications is September 9, 2024, and each program has 30 available positions. Early applicants will gain access to an introductory bootcamp covering the three topics, taking place on June 21, 22, 28, 29, and July 5 and 6 after work hours.
Under the theme “Partnerships for Tomorrow’s Education: Building Future Jobs for a Digital Portugal”, the event highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships between the academic and corporate sectors for the education and qualification of future professionals.
The event was opened by Nuno Jardim Nunes, CMU Portugal Program National Co-Director and President of the Institute of Interactive Technologies, who welcomed the participants and highlighted the objectives of the CMU Portugal Academy that are aligned with the mission of the CMU Portugal Program. Nunes remarked that “CMU Portugal’s main goal is to develop and attract talent to Portugal in the field of ICT, and the new CMU Portugal Academy will contribute to expanding the talent base that has access to the best that is done internationally in this field, creating professionals of the future”.
James Garrett Jr., Provost of Carnegie Mellon University, participated via video emphasizing CMU’s commitment to shaping the future of education and cultivating a highly skilled workforce, as well as the close collaboration between the CMU Portugal Academy and several Portuguese companies, a tradition in all CMU Portugal’s initiatives. The Provost also referenced Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas’ vision of positioning Lisbon as one of Europe’s most innovative cities and the CMU engagement to supporting Portugal and the city of Lisbon in this ambitious endeavor, expanding the entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering economic growth, and nurturing a culture of innovation that attracts talent and sparks transformative ideas.
James Garrett Jr.
Next, João Mendes Borga, executive director of the Academy, provided details about the new Advanced programs, teaching methodologies, and expected results. The CMU Portugal Academy will offer three Advanced Training programs: AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning; Product Management; and User Experience and Service Design. Classes will take place primarily onsite at ITI – Hub do Beato facilities, in Lisbon, and the courses will be developed through a collaborative effort between the Instituto Superior Técnico, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, NOVA School of Science and Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University, with the support from the Santander Portugal Foundation.
The presentation of the initiative was followed by a discussion panel on the impact of synergies between academia and industry on education, a differentiating factor of the CMU Portugal Academy, and how these partnerships could shape the future of education in Portugal. The discussion panel included the participation of Paulo Dimas (VP Product innovation, Unbabel), Francisco Santos (VP, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), and Inês Rocha de Gouveia (Head of Santander Universidades), with the conversation moderated by Raquel Yam (Executive Director of the Interactive Technologies Institute).
Paulo Dimas, Francisco Santos, Inês Rocha de Gouveia and Raquel Yam
The celebration of the Partnership with Santander Portugal was signaled, by Rogério Colaço, President of Instituto Superior Técnico, and Miguel Belo de Carvalho, Administrator of Santander.
The Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, closed the ceremony by highlighting the importance of the partnerships between Academia and Industry for talent development.
Miguel Belo de Carvalho and Rogério Colaço
Fernando Alexandre
