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Overview & Mission

The Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal) is a platform for education, research and innovation that brings together Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and several Portuguese universities, research institutions and companies. This partnership was launched in 2006, and is split into two phases (phase I: 2006 – 2012; phase II: 2012 -2017 ). The third phase of the program started in 2018 and will convene through 2030.

CMU Portugal’s mission is to place Portugal at the forefront of research and technological development in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), by promoting an innovation ecosystem with a tight coupling between cutting-edge research, world-class graduate education, and highly innovative companies in the data-driven economy.

The activities of the CMU Portugal Program are financed by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia  (FCT), the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, supported by the Conselho de Reitores das Universidades Portuguesas (CRUP) and co-financed by industry partners and by Carnegie Mellon University.

The Program has been promoting an innovative environment in which Portugal and Carnegie Mellon University have collaboratively engaged in building and fostering common ICT foundations. Therefore, CMU Portugal aims to create an ecosystem of innovation in Portuguese cities, through a synergistic environment that brings together world-class researchers and highly innovative companies.

The third phase of the CMU Portugal Program was launched in February 2018, in an agreement signed between Carnegie Mellon University, represented by its Interim President, Farnam Jahanian, and the Portuguese Government through the President of FCT, Paulo Ferrão.

The overarching mission of Phase III is to foster industry-science relationships as agents of change with the focus on ICT research for social and economic impact. 

Mission

The mission of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal) is to place Portugal at the forefront of research and technological development in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), by promoting an innovation ecosystem with a tight coupling between cutting-edge research, world-class graduate education, and highly innovative companies in the data-driven economy.

Key instruments of the program:

Education & talent development 

of faculty, students and professionals from the industry, through dual degree PhDs and Advanced Training Programs, Visiting Faculty & Students Programs.

Research & innovation

by supporting research projects carried out by teams that bring together academic researchers and industry practitioners, with the goal of solving research problems faced by innovative companies that operate in the data economy.

Industry collaboration

through programs that foster the creation of knowledge-based startups and their continued connection to the academic community.