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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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About the UT Austin-Portugal Program

Overview

This document describes the long-term collaboration to be established between The University of Texas at Austin (UTAustin) and Portuguese research and higher education institutions, as agreed between the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) and UTAustin, on the basis of the Assessment Report submitted in February 2007 by UT-Austin to the Government of Portugal. The goal of the assessment was to identify beneficial partnerships in targeted areas of mutual interest for educational and research excellence as well as accelerated economic development within Portugal as an enabler for new jobs and sustainable wealth creation. Based on a 5-month (March-July 2006) assessment of a range of potential areas of cooperation it was decided to initially focus on two program areas: i) the development of an interdisciplinary research and advanced training program in Digital Media, including the development of Master and PhD programs; and ii) the creation of a University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN). During August-November 2006 two additional program areas were considered for interdisciplinary research and advanced training, namely: Mathematics and Advanced Computing. In addition, it was decided to launch the necessary institutional framework to explore additional fields for cooperation and to enter into an open collaborative framework in order to foster collaborative actions in other emerging scientific fields, including nano and molecular science, robotics, and biotechnology. All program efforts will be subject to continuous monitoring, evaluation, and adjustments within the collaboration.

Consequently, an important component of the UTAustin-Portugal Program lies in its institutional framework. As such, all the activities launched under the auspices of the UTAustin-Portugal Program by UTAustin and by the FCT and partner institutions should be focused on creating a single governance structure, designated as the “International Collaboratory for Emerging Technologies”, or CoLab, which will be launched without a legal personality and has two poles: one in Portugal, the CoLab@Portugal, and other at UTAustin, the CoLab@UTAustin.

The activities of CoLab are divided in three major groups:

  1. Interdisciplinary research and advanced education activities in areas encompassing digital media, advanced computing and mathematics;
  2. On-job training for entrepreneurs and technology transfer officers and related technology commercialization activities, including internships and an exchange program for entrepreneurs and technology transfer officers, in a way to form a “University Technology Enterprise Network”, UTEN; and
  3. Continuous identification and promotion of cooperation in emerging technologies between UTAustin and Portuguese institutions.
Interdisciplinary research and advanced education

The first group above includes three different areas with the vision to foster interdisciplinary research and advanced education, in a way to help generate new knowledge leading to wealth creation. The goal is to develop a close agenda bringing together Digital Media, Advanced Computing and Mathematics, so that CoLab can build on existing competences and foster a new scientific agenda at an international level. The various components are described in the following paragraphs.

Digital Media

The Digital Media Program will focus on education, research, and business development in digital information content and new media production and distribution including:

  1. Digital and interactive media, and new distribution systems for small and large screens and over the Internet
  2. Online journalism
  3. Interactive documentaries and interactive systems
  4. Wireless technologies and systems for new media distribution leading to platforms to enhance digital inclusion, and learning systems for unskilled people with special emphasis on the handicapped and elderly

Master and PhD Programs will be formed at the New University of Lisbon and The University of Porto in collaboration with The College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin. Digital Media emerging challenges in entrepreneurship and technology venturing will be associated with new media technology commercialization in international markets across a variety of initiatives.

The emphasis will be on the full value chain associated with advanced digital media. The overall goal is to have students explore media technologies and their design implications as well as evolving connections between technology, design, social and cultural domains, and business development. The curriculum for the planned MA degree will be stronger in hands-on production and experimentation, while the PhD degree will add theory and critical discourse to these subject areas that will function as core courses in the first two years of a PhD program. Courses in research methods will be important for both degrees and will encourage students to develop innovative and creative research projects.

Contributions to information society policy and pilot experiments in Portugal will also be explored through the participation of the Portuguese Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), in particular in the areas of inclusion, accessibility to the handicapped and elderly, interactive leaning environments, citizenship and public participation, rich interactive content development.

Advanced Computing

Advanced and grid computing enables the integration of widely dispersed computers, data repositories, and scientific instruments into a connected cyber-infrastructure that allows scientists, engineers, and information technology workers to become more productive through collaboration. The collaboration of researchers at UT-Austin and Portuguese Associate Laboratories (namely LIP and LAETA) and universities (namely The University of Minho, The New University of Lisbon, The University of Coimbra, the Instituto Superior Tecnico of the Technical University of Lisbon and other Portuguese universities) will include developing a PhD Program in Computer Science/Informatics with a particular focus on advanced and grid computing. The emphasis will be on using existing Portuguese PhD programs as opposed to creating a standalone new PhD degree. Students enrolled in this new UT-Austin/Portugal program will need to (i) attend specialized and advanced courses; (ii) study and work in research environments at the participating universities and their associated research centers, (iii) work on research projects that are related to advanced computing; and (iv) if appropriate prepare a PhD dissertation related to advanced computing and the framework of the joint research agendas identified by the participating research groups at UT-Austin and the participating Portuguese universities.

All research programs will include faculty and student exchange, co-supervision of PhD students and hosting of exchange Post-Doc fellows. An annual workshop on advanced computing will be co-organized between UT-Austin and Portugal and will include a PhD doctoral consortium. The collaboration will also support a series of seminars by visiting and in-residence faculty and using the Internet will focus on Advanced Computing. UT-Austin, The University of Minho, The New University of Lisbon, and The University of Coimbra as well as other Portuguese universities, involved in the joint doctoral program, including the Instituto Superior Tecnico of the Technical University of Lisbon, University of Porto and The University of Aveiro, research centers, and companies will consider the following research areas:

  • Computational Science: modeling, simulation, optimization, performance analysis and tuning, numerical methods for parallel and distributed computing;
  • Computer System: paradigms and algorithms, system performance analysis, middleware, tools and technologies, and development of useful environments to the user.
  • Applications: applications in science, engineering, economics, civil protection and risk management;

Furthermore, these Portuguese universities, research centers, and companies will also collaborate with the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at UT-Austin on deployment and operational issues for advanced computing, such as software, tools evaluation and secure access. All projects will include education, training, and outreach activities and will consider opportunities for technology transfer.

Contributions to policy measures connected to the Portuguese National Grid Initiative, launched in 2006 and prepared by the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), will be assured through the participation of this agency.

Mathematics

The project in the area of mathematics is aimed to develop advanced programs of research and education in specific areas of mathematics of common interest and expertise to:

  • Reinforce the scientific and learning capabilities in Portugal, as well as to promote the internationalization of research and graduate programs in leading Portuguese universities;
  • Stimulate mobility and scientific interaction of graduate students, researchers and post-docs among institutions;
  • Attract to the involved Universities strongly motivated students who are able to integrate advanced research programs in Mathematics and applications;
  • Optimize resources, by promoting a PhD program that involves the major universities in Lisbon and in Coimbra.

The cooperative initiative involves the Institute for Computational Engineering and Science (ICES) and the Department of Mathematics at UT-Austin and mathematical research centers and groups in four Portuguese universities, namely at the School of Sciences of UL (FCUL), the Instituto Superior Tecnico of UTL (IST-UTL), the School of Sciences and Technology of UNL (FCTUNL), and the School of Sciences and Technology of U. Coimbra (FCTUC).

University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN)

A University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN) will work to accelerate wealth and job creation in targeted, science-based, new-generation Portuguese industries and firms, and will develop increasingly interrelated programs across organizational and institutional boundaries to support the common objective of world-class research and education leading to accelerated science and technology-based enterprise innovation and commercialization. It will be based on:

  1. Systematic on-job training and competence building of technology-transfer professionals from Portuguese institutions, together with continuous providing of internships in the Austin Technology Incubator, the IC2 Institute and relevant leading institutions in Austin and the United States, as well as by a continuous exchange program with technology transfer offices in Portugal;
  2. Systematic on-job training and competence building of technology-based entrepreneurs to be selected from Portuguese research and academic institutions in order to accelerate processes of science and technology commercialization, emphasizing overcoming key challenges in technology entrepreneurship;
  3. Enhanced access to U.S. and international markets, namely through assistance to be provided by the Austin Technology Incubator and the IC2 Institute.

UTEN will be initially composed of a virtual network of 15 Portuguese universities and their technology transfer offices, research centers, and incubators involved in S&T commercialization, as well as select S&T parks with relevant university research activities, and the national Innovation Agency, AdI. They will work with the Austin Technology Incubator and the IC² Institute at The University of Texas at Austin to:

  • Have a unified management structure
  • Coordinate activities and programs across institutional entities
  • Leverage existing regional infrastructure and personnel located at the participating Portuguese institutions.

UT Austin will assist AdI and the management structure of UTEN in Portugal to select entrepreneurs and technology transfer officers on a competitive basis. It is expected that over time UTEN will develop increasingly interrelated programs across organizational and institutional boundaries to support the common objective of fostering world-class research and education leading to accelerated science and technology-based enterprise innovation and commercialization. UTEN will focus on technology commercialization while emphasizing key challenges in technology entrepreneurship and technology venturing for international markets. These activities will include short courses in Portugal and university-based internships in Portugal and at UT-Austin and company-based internships. Cooperative research projects involving Portuguese and UT-Austin faculty and students will focus on critical aspects of S&T research, commercialization, and international market access.

Other areas for future cooperation in emerging technologies

CoLab is launched to provide the necessary institutional framework to explore additional fields for cooperation and to enter into an open collaborative framework in order to foster collaborative actions in emerging scientific fields, involving UT Austin and Portuguese research and higher education institutions. All program efforts will be subject to continuous monitoring, evaluation, and adjustments within the collaboration.

While still in their infancy the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology have already demonstrated that these research areas will have a tremendous impact on various and important aspects of human life, such as health, the environment, energy, transportation, information technology, and space exploration. Accordingly, this is considered a key emerging program area to be considered for inclusion in the overall UT-Austin/Portugal collaboration.

All program areas will work to build world-class research, education, and training programs that will involve professors and graduate students from the founding universities as well as top international talent. Training and for-credit classes will be offered in Portugal and at UT-Austin. Teaching Assistantships for graduate students will be offered in Portugal and at UT-Austin. Exchange programs will also be offered for Portuguese and UT-Austin faculty. Cooperative research workshops and training and doctoral seminars will be organized. Research projects will involve faculty and graduate students from Portugal and UT-Austin as well as other leading universities. Jointly authored research papers will be submitted to highly ranked, referred journals for publication. The possibility of dual or joint degrees will be pursued. Student recruitment will focus on highly qualified Portuguese students from Portugal and other Portuguese speaking countries as well as highly qualified non-Portuguese speaking students, especially UT-Austin students.

While S&T commercialization and business development will be an important component of all program areas, it will be the focus of the University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN). A main function of UTEN will be to catalyze and facilitate the coordination and leveraging of S&T resources and assets across Portugal’s regional and national academic, business, and government sectors in the pursuit of accelerated technology/knowledge-based growth.

As envisioned, all selected program areas will be built progressively over a 5-year time horizon through the realization of multilateral partnerships with the ultimate goal of building the necessary critical mass needed for Portugal’s success in S&T research and commercialization in dynamic global markets. During the formation and operation of these cooperative programs, multiple sources of funding, including private sector sources and public sector grants, will be sought to sustain the programs and activities that achieve demonstrable success. Industry affiliates programs will be formed to promote business development services for established and start-up Portuguese firms. Operational structures will be designed to promote successful technology commercialization and business development activities including enhanced international market access, acquisitions, technology licensing, and accelerated start-up success. Operational guidelines will be developed that will specify how for-profit entities will financially support and otherwise contribute to non-profit activities such as education and research as well as benefit participating universities and sustainability of the overall cooperative program between UT-Austin and Portugal.

Technology Partnerships & Industry Affiliations

Technology partnerships and industry affiliations between Portuguese universities and businesses, and Austin and US businesses will be vital for the success of the UT-Austin/Portugal cooperative programs. Such affiliations will significantly benefit the overall collaboration in terms of: (1) knowledge gains; (2) insight into global academic and business operations; (3) network contacts and opportunities; and (4) exposure to US and global markets.

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