Gil Sampaio

MIT Portugal Program

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, MPP has been developing a research platform for cutting-edge concepts in emerging areas of science and technology that have included: Bioengineering, Sustainable Energy, Transportation Systems, Engineering Design, and Advanced Manufacturing. Phases I and II placed a strong emphasis on the aforementioned areas, offering PhD, Masters and Executive Masters programs to students from Portugal and around the globe. 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 addresses the complex challenges of global and societal impact. It will continue to collaborate with Industrial Affiliates to strengthen the connection between research and real-life implementation. Within the scope of the new partnership, MPP2030 focuses on developing 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.