In 2026, the CMU Portugal program will host 19 visiting researchers from Portuguese institutions at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): 7 professors and researchers and 12 master’s students and recent graduates. CMU Portugal’s Mobility initiatives “Visiting Students” and “Visiting Professors and Researchers” are supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
The 7 candidates selected for the Visiting Faculty and Researchers initiative will spend up to two months at CMU, collaborating with colleagues and engaging in ICT research, education and innovation. This immersive experience allows them to gain valuable insights into the university’s culture and best practices. Participants will explore a wide range of ICT topics, such as AI and machine learning, photonic systems, intelligent transport and advanced software engineering. The partnership represents 7 Portuguese research institutions: FEUP (1), INESC-ID (2), INESC TEC (1), Instituto de Telecomunicações (2), Instituto Superior Técnico (3), University of Minho (1) and Lusófona University (1).
Telmo Pinto, Assistant Professor in the Department of Production and Systems of the School of Engineering of UMinho, will be received at the Heinz Faculty of Information Systems and Public Policies, by Peter Zhang. The investigation will focus on Integer Programming Formulations and Decomposition Methods for Vehicle Routing Problems.
Teachers and researchers will be hosted in 6 departments of CMU: Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering (two participants), along with one participant in Computer Science, Engineering and Public Policy, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Institute of Robotics. To date, this initiative has supported 105 participants from Portugal.
The MIT Portugal Program also welcomed, in summer internships and under the MISTI Program – MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives, six students, three of whom were received at the School of Engineering of UMinho, in Guimarães, and one had as its host entity Anybrain, a start-up from Braga founded in 2015 by researchers from the EEUM.
MISTI offers MIT students the opportunity to experience the world, while deepening their knowledge, facing real-world challenges, and preparing to make an impact in an increasingly interconnected global society.
But an international experience goes far beyond the workplace; It’s also about discovering a new culture, meeting new people, and creating meaningful bonds. Therefore, the MIT Portugal Program brought students together for a special cultural event in the city of Porto, in which there was time to share their experiences in Portugal, and through a cooking workshop discover one of the sweetest traditions in the country, the custard tarts.
We hope that these students left Portugal with new skills, meaningful relationships, great memories and, who knows, even the secret to a perfect custard tart!
