Two professors from DCC-FCUP were part of a University of Porto delegation on a visit to Asia and visited the University of Macau to sign an agreement establishing a student exchange programme.
Fernando Silva and Luís Antunes, professors at the Department of Computer Science of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), were at the University of Macau (UM) earlier this month to promote scientific cooperation focused on cutting-edge technologies, artificial intelligence, and cryptography. Representing FCUP, Fernando Silva, Director of the DCC, signed a joint memorandum of cooperation in education and research, also involving the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) and UM, aimed at the exchange of students and recent PhD graduates.
“This document allows PhD students from FCUP to undertake mobility periods at the University of Macau, while the Faculty of Sciences may also host doctoral students from this university, in areas related to informatics, computer science, and microelectronics,” explains Fernando Silva. This agreement may include PhD students not only from the DCC, but also, for example, from the Departments of Physics and Astronomy and of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Within the scope of this collaboration, FCUP may also host recent PhD graduates from UM as teaching staff.
Following the signing ceremony, the delegation, which included faculty members from the Faculty of Sciences, visited the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) Circuits and the Institute of Microelectronics.
Rui Martins, Vice Rector of UM, presented an overview of the university’s most recent advances in microelectronics research, industry–academia collaboration, and future development plans, also showcasing a range of patented technologies and cutting-edge research infrastructures.
“We were very keen to visit these facilities at the University of Macau, as they may open the door to highly interesting partnerships for the Faculty of Sciences in areas such as quantum computing, cryptography, and artificial intelligence,” notes Fernando Silva.
Promoting advanced training in an international context
The University of Porto has maintained a productive scientific and academic collaboration with the University of Macau (UM) for several years. This relationship has now been further strengthened with the signing of an agreement establishing the co-supervision of PhD students in strategic scientific areas, promoting advanced training in an international context.
The Rector of the University of Porto also highlighted the “strategic importance of strengthening ties with institutions in Portuguese-speaking countries, within the framework of the University’s global positioning.”
In turn, the Rector of the University of Macau, Song Yonghua, emphasized that these agreements will “lay solid foundations for promoting the training of highly qualified professionals with an international outlook and for the development of high-impact scientific research.”
In addition to FCUP faculty members and the Rector, the University of Porto delegation includes Vice-Rectors José Castro Lopes and Joana Carvalho, Rui Calçada (Director of FEUP), João Claro (President of INESC TEC and FEUP faculty member), and João Carlos Ribeiro (Administrator of the University of Porto). The delegation is still on its mission; after visits to Macau and South Korea, it is currently in Japan as part of an institutional visit aimed at strengthening cooperation with some of the leading universities in Asia.