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• 1st Brainstorm on Smart Energy

  On the 15th June 2010, the 1st Brainstorm on Smart Energy (micro site) was held at the Scientific and Cultural Centre of Macau, Lisbon, organized jointly by the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, the MIT – Portugal Program, and the projects INOVGRID and MOBI.E. The meeting was co-chaired by Marija Ilic, Carnegie Mellon University, and Luis Magalhães, President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), had as Program Chair of the brainstorms, Inês Lima Azevedo (Carnegie Mellon University), as local organizers António Vidigal (EDP Innovation) and Luis Henriques (EDP Innovation), had the support of coordination of the Directors of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, José Moura (Carnegie Mellon University) and John Barros (IT / FEUP), and the Director of the MIT – Portugal Program, Paulo Ferrão (ISR Lisbon / IN + / IST).

• 8th Meeting of the Board of Directors of the MIT-Portugal Program

  The Board of Directors of the MIT-Portugal Program met on 29 March 2010, at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA., for the 8th time since this program was started around three and a half years ago, on 11 October 2006, under the framework of the Knowledge Networks activities, integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  This Meeting of the Program Governing Committee of the MIT–Portugal Program was chaired by the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, representing the President of Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, who could not attend, and also included the Chancellor of MIT, Phillip Clay, the Dean of the School of Engineering atMIT, Subra Suresh, and the directors of the program at MIT and in Portugal, Daniel Roos and Paulo Ferrão, respectively. The meeting also included Karen Gleason, Associate Dean of Research Engineering.

• 7th Meeting of the Board of Directors of the MIT-Portugal Program

  The Board of Directors of the MIT-Portugal Program met on 12 November 2009. This was the 7th time since this program was initiated on 11 October 2006 under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The Board of Directors of the MIT-Portugal Program is chaired by the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and also includes the MIT Chancellor, Phil Clay, the Dean of the MIT Engineering School, Subra Suresh, the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, and the respective Program Directors at MIT and in Portugal, Daniel Roos and Paulo Ferrão.

• New R&D Institute Created in Madeira within the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program

  University of Madeira, Madeira Technopole and Carnegie Mellon University sign, on July 23, 2009, a protocol for creating a new private R&D  institute in the area of Information and Communication Technologies, Madeira – Interactive Technologies Institute (Madeira - ITI), in a ceremony in the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, and the Secretary of State of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor. The creation of this institute had been proposed at the 5th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program, chaired by Luis Magalhães, President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, on the 27th and 28th of May 2009.

• 4th Meeting of the Board of Directors of the UT Austin-Portugal Program

  The main management body of the UT Austin-Portugal Program, the Board of Directors, met for the 4th time on 15 July 2009, a little more than two years since the Launching of the UT Austin-Portugal Program on 2 March 2007. The meeting was chaired by the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, standing in for the President the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and took place at INESC Porto.

  This meeting was concerned with analysing the progress made in each area (Digital Content, Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and encouraging the activities of commercialization of science and technology by the UTEN – University Technology Enterprise Network), the strategic plan for each of these areas, the budget review, aspects resulting from the transition of resources from the initial top-down stage to the current bottom-up stage based on public tenders, tenders for research projects and in particular the preparation of the announcement and evaluation of the tender which is to open shortly, the affiliation of enterprises to the Program, the creation of a University Committee made up of the Heads of the Faculties involved in the Program and an Industrial Advisory Board, to improve communications and the dissemination of the program and its activities.

• International Conference Debates the Role of S&T in the Context of the International Crisis

  The 12th International Conference on Public Policies in Innovation and Technology “Porto2009”, was held on 13-14 July 2009 at the Casa da Musica, Porto, the central focus of which being the discussion of strategic responses to the current international financial crisis that brought together long-term concerns with particular relevance to Science and Technology.

  The Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, chaired the opening session, with contributions from the Secretary General of OECD, Pier Carlo Padoan, the Deputy President for R&D at Daimler AG, Heinrich Fleger, and Professor James Utterback from the Sloan School of Management of MIT.

• 1st Annual Conference of the MIT-Portugal Program: "Engineering for Better Jobs"

  Researchers and entrepreneurs met in Lisbon on July 7, 2009, at the Belém Cultural Centre, for the 1st Annual Conference of the MIT-Portugal Program to discuss the balance of the Program since its launch in 2007 and to present its main activity areas for the next few years. Those present included Portuguese and international representatives from universities, research centres and enterprises, along with Staff and Faculty from MIT.

• Joint FCT-UMass Dartmouth Program of Stategic Cooperation in the North Atlantic

  The Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth), USA, launched a program of cooperation in training and research in strategic areas concerning the North Atlantic on June 24, 2009 on the island of Horta, in the Azores, in a ceremony presided over by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago and which included the presence of the Chancellor of UMass Dartmouth, Jean MacCormach, as well as other academics involved in the program.

  The University of the Azores, as well as IMAR-Azores, are involved under the terms of the agreement which seeks to develop marine science and technology through an interdisciplinary approach and the promotion of scientific cooperation.

• CMU-Portugal Summer Academy 2009

  Following the holding of the 1st Annual Conference of the CMU – Portugal Program: “Boot and Re-Connect”, the first Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Summer Academy 2009 was held in Porto on 23 and 25 June 2009, a unique event organised by the CMU – Portugal Program and designed for an enterprise-oriented audience with specific experience in methods and techniques for ICT services, software and games development, technological change and entrepreneurship (see the Carnegie Mellon brochure – Portugal Summer Academy 2009).

• 1st Annual CMU-Portugal Conference: "Boot and Re-Connect"

  The first annual Conference of the CMU – Portugal Program, on the theme Economy 3.0: Re-Boot and Re-Connect, took place on 22 June 2009, in the Palácio da Bolsa, Porto. The aim of the conference was to publicly present the current results of this program and set its research agenda for the future.

  The opening ceremony was chaired by the Prime Minister, José Sócrates, and included the presence of the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago. Those participating in the conference included professors and researchers from national institutions and Carnegie Mellon University, as well as representatives of the main enterprises linked to the program, including Portugal Telecom, Novabase, Nokia-Siemens, Critical Software, Biodevices and Porto Editora.

• 5th Meeting of the Board of Directors of the CMU-Portugal Program

  The Board of Directors of the CMU-Portugal Program met for the 5th time on 27 and 28 May 2009, at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, to consider the Program Directors’ report, discuss the strategic focus document prepared by the Program Directors and the process of the program’s dissemination, and debate with the scientific community and industrial partners, analyse the Professional Masters evaluation report, compiled from 4-8 May 2009, and approve resolutions concerning the functioning of the Programe which, amongst many other issues, included the decision to open shortly a new public tender for research projects involving the joint participation of researchers from Portugal and CMU and industry.

• Launching of the Harvard Medical School – Portugal Program

  The cooperation Program between the Portuguese State and the University of Harvard, through the Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard Medical School – Portugal Program, was launched on 21 May 2009, at the Pavilion of Knowledge (Pavilhão do Conhecimento), in Lisbon, at a ceremony which was attended by the Portuguese Prime Minister, José Sócrates, and the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, the Minister of Health, Ana Jorge, the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, and the Assistant Secretary of State for Health, Francisco Ramos.

  Also attending the ceremony were the Presidents of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) and of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), the Vice-Chancellors of the Universities with medical degrees, the Deans of all the Faculties of Medicine in Portugal and the Directors of Associated Laboratories in this area, who jointly signed the terms of their corresponding participation in the Program, along with the Deans of the Harvard Medical School (HMS), David Golan and Rick Mills, and the Co-Directors of the Program at Harvard, Tom Kirchhausen and Anthony Komaroff.

• “International Partnerships” bring together Portuguese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

  Representatives of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) involved in the scientific and technology cooperation programmes in progress with American universities under the Partnerships for the Future action (see Knowledge Networks projects), part of the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative, namely with MIT, the University of Texas at Austin and Carnegie Mellon University, met on 11 May 2009 at the Science and Technology Faculty Library of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Almada as part of "European SME Week”.

• 6th Meeting of the MIT - Portugal Program Government Committee

  

  The Board of Directors of the MIT – Portugal Program met on 27 April 2009, at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, for the 6th time since this Program was started around two and a half years ago, on 11 October 2006, under the scope of the Partnerships for the Future actions integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The Board of Directors of the MIT – Portugal Program is headed by the President of Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and also includes the Chancellor of MIT, Phillip Clay, the Deanof MIT’s School of Engineering, Subra Suresh, the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, and the directors of the Program at MIT and in Portugal, Daniel Roos and Paulo Ferrão, respectively.

• Portugal and Harvard Medical School Announce Joint Program

  Senior figures from the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal and the Harvard Medical School (HMS), met in Boston, USA, on 27 April 2007 to announce their intention of starting a long term collaboration which will lead to a significant development and expansion of clinical research and its transfer to Schools and Faculties of Medicine and the main Portuguese laboratories, and the creation and dissemination of medical content.

  The meeting took place in Harvard Medical School. Representing the Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education was the Minister himself, José Mariano Gago, the Secretary of State, Manuel Heitor, the President of Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, accompanied by the Portuguese Consul in Boston, Manuela Barrios, and representing Harvard Medical School the Provost, Steven E. Hyman, the Dean for Graduate Education, David Golan, the Chief Editor of Harvard Health Publications, Anthony Komaroff, and the appointed Director at Harvard for the future Harvard Medical School-Portugal Program, Tomas Kirchhausen.

• 2nd UTEN Network Seminar on Internationalisation and Technology Transfer

  The 2nd Seminar on Internationalisation and Technology Transfer, organised by UTEN – University Technology Enterprise Network was held on 30th March 2009 at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon. It involved a dialogue with MIT experts on technology transfer and marketing, including discussions of Portuguese case studies.

  The UTEN network was set up in the scope of the UT Austin – Portugal Program of the Partnerships for the Future action, which is part of the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future, which also includes the MIT – Portugal Program, the CMU – Portugal Program and the Fraunhofer – Portugal Program, all of which were invited to contribute to this seminar.

• 10th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program

  The Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program met on 19 March 2009 for the 10th time since the Program was set up little more than a year ago on 18 April 2007, under the scope of the Partnerships for the Future activity as part of the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting, which took place in Porto, started with information regarding the visit of the President of the Portuguese Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, to Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, in Munich, which took place on 5 March 2009, on the occasion of his official visit to Germany, where he was accompanied by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, and by the President of Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) and also the President of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer – Portugal Program, João Sentieiro, and which included a presentation from AICOS - Fraunhofer Portugal Research Center for Assistive Information and Communication Solutions which started its activities in May 2008 alongside the University of Porto, under the direction of Doctor Dirk Elias, who was hired following an international job application process held in Portugal and Germany.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (7th session)

  The 7th seminar in the series on research into public ICT policies, held under the scope of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program and financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 17 March 2009 at the Instituto Superior Técnico.

  The seminar, held within the context of the Partnerships for the Future, activity, had as its theme “How Do Mobile-Voice Operators Compete? IVQR Estimates” with the speaker Ricardo Cabral from the University of Madeira. This was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• 9th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program

  The Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program met on 13 February 2009 for the 9th time since the Program was set up little more than a year ago on 18 April 2007, under the scope of the Partnerships for the Future activity as part of the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting took place in Cologne, Germany with the aim of analysing progress made within the Program and making decisions regarding its future evolution, and also preparing for the visit of the President of the Portuguese Republic to the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, in Munich, scheduled for the 5 March 2009, as part of his official visit to Germany.

  Taking part in the Steering Committee meeting of the Fraunhofer – Portugal Program was its President and the President of FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, IP, João Sentieiro, the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, Doctor Georg Rosenfeld from the President’s office of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG) and Professor José Luis Encarnação, also from FhG.

• MIT MBA to Train Top Managers Starts Classes in Lisbon

  The Faculty of Economics of the New University of Lisbon, the Faculty of Economic and Entrepreneurial Sciences of the Catholic University of Portugal and the Sloan School of Management at MIT marked the start of classes of the joint MBA program to train top managers on 7 January 2009. This also marked the fulfilment of the agreement signed on 28 February 2008 (see International MBA set up as part of the MIT-Portugal Program), at a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister, José Sócrates, and the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago.

• 5th Meeting of the MIT - Portugal Program Government Committee

  

  The Governing Committee of the MIT - Portugal Program met on 21 November 2008, at Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), for the 5th time since this Program was started around two years previously, on 11 October 2006, under the scope of the Partnerships for the Future activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The main aims of the meeting were to consider and approve the report on the Program’s activities, with the 1st part of the meeting including the participation of the executive directors of the various areas of the Program, to receive information from the President of the External Review Committee of the MIT - Portugal Program, Professor Henk Sol, regarding the process of assessing the candidatures for the projects presented during the public tender opened under the scope of the Program. It also included discussion and approval of the main strategic and budgetary guidelines, discussion and approval of the Budget Plan for 2009, and analysis of operational matters and procedures.

• 4th Meeting of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program Board of Directors

  The Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program Governing Committee met for the 4th time on 6 and 7 November 2008, at Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), to learn about the report from the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), consider the report from the Program Directors and approve resolutions regarding the functioning of the Program.

  This Governing Committee is chaired by the President of Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and also includes the Provost of Carnegie Mellon, Jared Cohon, the Dean of the School of Engineering of Carnegie Mellon, Pradeep Koshla, the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, Alfredo Baptista from Portugal Telecom and the Program directors at Carnegie Mellon and in Portugal.

• 2nd Meeting of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program External Review Committee

  The External Review Committee of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program met for the second time on 3 to 6 November 2008 in Lisbon.

  This Committee undertook an intense Program of meetings to establish direct contact with the Program Directors, and with professors from Portuguese Universities involved as well as those from Carnegie Mellon, students in the PhD Programs and the Professional Masters, managers from companies associated with the Program, senior figures from Portuguese universities involved in the Program and also those from Carnegie Mellon, and with the Board of Directors of the Program.

• 3rd Meeting of the UT Austin - Portugal Program Board of Directors

  The main management body of the U Texas Austin – Portugal Program, the Governing Committee, met for the 3rd time on 3 October 2008, a little more than a year and a half since the Launching of the U Texas Austin – Portugal Program, on 2 March 2007. The meeting was concerned with analysing the progress verified in each area (Digital Content, Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and the stimulation of commercialisation activities related to science and technology by UTEN – the University Technology Enterprise Network), the strategic plan for each of these areas and the general guidelines for the awarding of budgets, research project bidding processes, new advanced training Programs for the PhD and Executive Masters Programs, the affiliation of companies to the Program, and improvement in the dissemination and communication of the Program and its activities.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (6th session)

  The 6th seminar in the series on research into public ICT policies, held under the scope of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program and financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 7 October 2008, at 18:00, at the Instituto Superior Técnico.

  The seminar took place as part of the Partnerships for the Future project with the theme “Technology adoption with forward-looking agents” and with the speaker Filomena Garcia from ISEG – Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão. This was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• Public Tender for Health and Biomedical Research Platform (hardware)

  The Portuguese Government and the Harvard Medical School (HMS) have agreed to assess the potential to collaborate in various areas, including making an informational and educational platform available on medicine, health and biomedical research so as to facilitate access and contribute to increasing the medical literacy of the population in general, and certain specific groups involved in public health within the aforementioned areas.

  As such The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), using the HMS platform as a reference, wishes to specific, create, implement, coordinate and promote a new information platform for medical, health and biomedical research knowledge in Portuguese, available on the Internet and other means, offering wider access for larger groups from the general public.

• 8th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program

  The Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer - Portugal Program met on 25 July 2008. This was the 8th time since this program had begun a little more than one year previously, on 18 April 2007, under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting aimed to review the progress of the program and decide aspects of its future development, particularly for projects in its topic areas and the future Fraunhofer Institute which has already started its activities alongside the University of Porto, under the direction of Dr. Dirk Elias, hired in an international public tender process which was advertised in Portugal and in Germany, and who was present at the meeting This institute, which will be the first Fraunhofer Institute to be set up outside Germany, and its focus will be on Technology, Applications and Services for Ambient Assisted Living.

• Public Tender for Health and Biomedical Research Platform

  The Portuguese Government and the Harvard Medical School (HMS) have agreed to assess the potential to collaborate in various areas, including making an informational and educational platform available on medicine, health and biomedical research so as to facilitate access and contribute to increasing the medical literacy of the population in general, and certain specific groups involved in public health within the aforementioned areas.

  As such The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), using the HMS platform as a reference, wishes to specific, create, implement, coordinate and promote a new information platform for medical, health and biomedical research knowledge in Portuguese, available on the Internet and other means, offering wider access for larger groups from the general public.

• 3rd Meeting of the Board of Directors of the CMU-Portugal Program

  The CMU-Portugal Program Board of Directors met for the 3rd time on 5 and 6 June 2008, at CMU-Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, to consider its 2007/2008 activity report and to plan its 2008/2009 activities.

  This Board of Directors is chaired by the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and also includes the CMU President Jared Cohon, the Dean of the School of Engineering of the University of CMU, Pradeep Koshla, the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, Alfredo Baptista from Portugal Telecom and the respective directors of the program at CMU and in Portugal, José Manuel F. Moura and Victor Barroso. At this meeting Alfredo Baptista was represented by Manuel Garcia, also from Portugal Telecom.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (5th session)

  The 5th seminar in the Series of Seminars on Research into Public ICT Policies under the framework of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 23 April 2008 at 17:00 at IST-Lisbon.

  The topic of the seminar, held in the context of the Knowledge Networks action, was "Competition in the Cable Television Industry" and the speaker was Ricardo Ribeiro from the London School of Economics. This was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• 4th Meeting of the MIT - Portugal Program Government Committee

  The Program Governing Committee of the MIT - Portugal Program met on 18 April 2008 at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. This was the 4th time since this program was initiated around a year and a half previously on 11 October 2006 under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting was primarily designed to examine the business plan for the 3rd year of the program, the report of the 3rd Meeting of the External Review Committee of the MIT – Portugal Program held on 14 March 2008, and the activities and future developments of the various components of the Program.

• 7th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program

  The Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer - Portugal Program met on 4 March 2008. This was the 7th time since this program had begun a little less than one year previously, on 18 April 2007, under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The aim of the meeting was to analyse the program’s progress and decide aspects of its future development, particularly relating to the start of activities of the future Fraunhofer Institute to be located alongside the University of Porto. This institute, which will be the first Fraunhofer Institute to be set up outside Germany, will focus on Technology, Applications and Services for Ambient Assisted Living and will start its activities as early as next month under the management of Doutor Dirk Elias, hired in an international public tender which was advertised in Portugal and in Germany, and who was present at the meeting.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (4th session)

  The 4th seminar in the Series of Seminars on Research into Public ICT Policies under the framework of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program and financed by the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 9 April 2008 at 17:00 at IST-Lisbon.

  The topic of the seminar, held in the context of the Knowledge Networks activity, was "Capital Structure and Regulation: Does Ownership Matter?" and the speaker was Professor Yossi Spigel, Associate Professor of the Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration, Tel Aviv University. This was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• 2008 MIT Europe Conference

  The 2008 MIT Europe Conference was held in Lisbon on 25-27 March 2008. It brought together enterprises and worldwide leaders and some of the main researchers and professors from MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - and the Portuguese institutions involved in the MIT-Portugal Program to debate recent technological developments and management and organizational models in critical areas of business and industry, including energy, transportation, nanotechnologies and bioengineering.

  The theme of the conference was "Global Strategic Frontiers: Research Imperatives and Organizational Change" and included the participation of representatives from companies such as Siemens, Shell, Eastman Kodak, BAE, BBVA and Corning.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (3rd session)

  The 3rd seminar in the Series of Seminars on Research into Public ICT Policies under the framework of the Carnegie Mellon-Portugal Program and financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 25 March 2008 at 18:00 at IST-Lisbon.

  The seminar, held in the context of the Knowledge Networks activities, had as its theme "Dynamic Price Competition with Network Effects" and the speaker was Professor Luis Cabral, W.R.Berkley Term Professor of Economics and Business and Professor of Management and Organizations at the Stern Business School of New York University. This seminar was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• 3rd Meeting of the MIT - Portugal Program External Review Committee

  The External Review Committee of the MIT - Portugal Program met on 14 March 2008 at Science and Technology Foundation (FCT). This was the 3rd time since this program started on 11 October 2006 under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting was designed primarily to evaluate the progress of the Program during its first year and projects and proposed budget for 2008/2009.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research (2nd session)

  The second seminar in the Series of Seminars on Research into Public ICT Policies under the framework of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program and financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 12 March 2008 at 17:00 at IST-Lisbon.

  The seminar, which was held as a Knowledge Networks activity, was given on the theme " Network Externalities Mediated by Rates: Is Regulatory intervention Good?" with the speaker being Professor Steffen Hoernig, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics, New University of Lisbon. This was co-organised by the Institute for Robotic Systems - Lisbon and by The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• 2nd Meeting of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program Board of Directors

  The Carnegie Mellon-Portugal Program Board of Directors met for the second time on 28 February 2008, to discuss its activities report and establish its plan for future activities.

  This Board of Directors is chaired by the President of the Science and TechnologyFoundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and also includes the President of Carnegie Mellon, Jared Cohon, the Dean of the School of Engineering of Carnegie Mellon University, Pradeep Koshla, the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, Alfredo Baptista from Portugal Telecom and the program directors at Carnegie Mellon and in Portugal, José Manuel F. Moura and Victor Barroso, respectively.

• International MBA set up under the framework of the MIT-Portugal Program

  On 21 February 2008, the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences of the Catholic University of Portugal and the Faculty of Economics of the New University of Lisbon and the Sloan School of Management of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) signed an agreement to set up an international MBA Programme, to be known as The Lisbon MBA.

  This agreement was signed within the framework of the MIT-Portugal Programme as specified in the activity of the Knowledge Networks. The ceremony to mark the signing of the agreement included short presentations by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Professor José Mariano Gago, the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Professor Manuel Heitor, and the Assistant Dean of the Sloan School of Management of MIT, Professor S.P. Kothari, the Vice-Chancellor the New University of Lisbon, Professor António Rendas, and the Vice-Chancellor of the Portuguese Catholic University, Professor Manuel Braga da Cruz.

• Seminar Series on ICT Policy Research

  The first seminar of a Series of Seminars on Research into Public ICT Policies held as part of the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal programme and financed by Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), took place on 27 February 2008 at 18:00.

  The seminar, which was held as part of the Knowledge Networks activities, was on the theme of “ Real-Time Spectrum Sharing and Secondary Markets” and the speaker was Professor Jon M. Peha, Associate Director of the Center for Wireless and Broadband Networking of Carnegie Mellon University(CMU). This was jointly organized by IST-Lisbon and The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC).

• Joint Potuguese and Galician PhD Program in Nanomedicine

  On 16 January 2008 at 11:30 a cooperation protocol was signed in the University of Porto between the Portuguese Universities of Aveiro, Porto and Minho and the Galician Universities A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo, which established a Joint PHD program in Nanomedicine, with enrolments having opened for 2008.

  This initiative involves 18 Portuguese technological research and development institutions, including the 10 Associated Laboratories, and is open to other institutions, companies and research centres wishing to make a relevant contribution to its aims, and in particular with the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL).

• Harvard Medical School presents Assessment of Collaboration Opportunities with Portugal

  The University of Harvard’s Harvard Medical School (USA) presented the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES) with its report assessing the potential for collaboration with Portuguese university and research institutions, entitled Research and Education Collaboration: Assessment. This document is being made publicly available today and the MCTES will accept any contributions from interested Portuguese institutions, namely scientific and technological institutions, university institutions, National Health System companies and institutions until the end of January 2008, which it will forward to the Harvard Medical School for assessment.

• 1st Meeting of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program External Review Committee

  The Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program External Review Committee is meeting for the first time today and tomorrow, 13th and 14th December 2007, in Lisbon.

  This Committee, coordinated by Professor Sir John O'Reilly from the University of Cranfield, United Kingdom, also includes the following internationally-renowned researchers: Joel Moses (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), Tariq Durrani (University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom), Luigia Aiello (University of Rome, Italy), David Audretsch (University of Indiana and Max Plank Institute, USA).

• 6th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program

  The Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer - Portugal Program met on 29 November 2007. This was the 6th time since this program had begun approximately seven months previously, on 18 April 2007, under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting, which was held in the Centre of the Fraunhofer Institutes in Stuttgart, after a visit of the Portuguese members to several Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG) Institutes located at this Centre (Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), Institute for Industrial Engineering  (IAO), Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB)), reviewed the progress of the program and decided on aspects of its future evolution, particularly following the FhG Senate and Policy Committee meeting concerning the future Fraunhofer Institute, which is to be located alongside the University of Porto. The meeting also analysed aspects of the preparation of the topics for the cooperation program.

• 1st Meeting of the External Review Committee of the UT Austin - Portugal Program

  The External Review Committee of the UT Austin – Portugal Program met for the 1st time on 24 October 2007 in the Senate Room of the Rectory of the New University of Lisbon, to analyse the first six months of operation of the partnership.

  The UT Austin – Portugal Program started on 2 March 2007 under the Knowledge Networks action, and deals principally with cooperation in the areas of Digital Content, Advanced Computing and Mathematics.

• 2nd Meeting of the MIT - Portugal Program External Review Committee

  The External Review Committee of the MIT - Portugal Program met for the second time on 11 and 12 October 2007, exactly one year after this program had begun, under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The meeting's main objective was to analyse the Program's first year of activities and began with a meeting with the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, and the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro. The Council has had several meetings with researchers, members of the teaching staff and students from the MIT-Portugal Program, as well as with leaders of major institutions and enterprises associated with the program.

• 3rd MIT – Portugal Program Governing Committee Meeting

  The MIT – Portugal Program Governing Committee will meet for the 3rd time on 10th October 2007, one day before the first anniversary of this program’s launch, to evaluate the report on the first year of activities and to discuss plans for the coming year’s activities.

  This Governing Committee is chaired by the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, and also includes the MIT Chancellor, Phil Clay, the former MIT Engineering School Dean, Tom Magnanti, the President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, and the respective directors of the program at MIT and in Portugal, Dan Roos and Paulo Ferrão.

• Conferences and Bilateral Meetings with Russian and Ukrainian Research Centres

  A series of conferences and bilateral meetings will take place at the ISQ – Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade from 1st to 4th October 2007 on the activities of Russia’s International Science and Technology Center (ISTC)and Ukraine’s Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU).The agenda for this event, which is entitled Approaching the CIS scientific community: ISTC and STCU meet the Portuguese business, technological and scientific players, takes in interventions on opportunities for cooperation in various areas, which include, among others: material science, nanotechnology, biochips, photonics, welding and vibrations.

• 5th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer-Portugal Program

  The Steering Committee of the Fraunhofer - Portugal Program met on 31 July 2007. This was the 5th time since this program had begun approximately four months previously, on 18 April 2007, under the scope of the Knowledge Networks activities integrated within the Commitment to Science for Portugal’s Future initiative.

  The aim of the meeting was to examine aspects of future development of the program, particularly relating to the future Fraunhofer Institute to be located alongside the University of Porto and for the preparation of the topics for the cooperation program.

  Those who participated in the meeting were the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, the President of The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, Professor Pedro Guedes de Oliveira, Dr. Georg Rosenfeld from the office of the Presidency of Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG), and Professor José Luis Encarnação, also from FhG. Also present was Dr. Torsten Nyncke from FhG.

• 1st Meeting of the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program Board of Directors

  The Carnegie Mellon - Portugal Program Governing Committee, chaired by the President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), João Sentieiro, will meet on 20th July 2007. The meeting will also be attended by the Chairman of the Carnegie Mellon, Jared Cohon, the Chairman of the Carnegie Mellon Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Pradeep Kosla, the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Luis Magalhães, the Director of the Program at the Carnegie Mellon, José Manuel Fonseca de Moura, and the Program Director in Portugal, Victor Barroso.