UT Austin Portugal Newsletter | We are all in this together (original) (raw)
For many of us, 2020 is likely to become one of, if not the most, challenging and toughest years of our lives. We have had to learn to live and adapt to a reality that is closer to a sci-fi movie plot. But human nature is not used to lower its guard in the face of adversity and tends to come out stronger and better equipped to tackle new challenges.
Science and Innovation have never been so important to foster cohesion and solidarity across nations as nowadays. When half the world was locked down at home, scientists and innovators in Portugal, UT Austin and around the world have been sprinting a global marathon to fight an unpredictable virus in many arenas. Inspired by the resilience, hard work, and dedication of many frontline workers and institutions, the Program was determined to do its part by continuing to foster transformative innovation through science-based activities and kept on working with the same drive.
At the height of lockdown in Portugal, the UT Austin Portugal Program announced the batch of industry-led consortia that we will be supporting over the next three years and that hold promise for delivering innovative solutions to a wide range of application markets, from health, to climate change or high-performance computing infrastructures; we have worked with our sponsor, FCT, to set up the evaluation process of the 2019 Call for Exploratory Research Projects; we have continued monitoring ongoing projects and communicating the achievements of our community and stakeholders; and we have been planning every single detail of our Annual Conference, set to take place this October, with the required flexibility and creativity to cope the best way with the uncertainty of the new times and still rise to the occasion.
This experience has put the whole world to the test but has confirmed that cooperation, resilience and cohesion are key for societies to overcome borderless challenges. An evidence-based assumption that the Program has been familiar with for a very long time, using the Science and Innovation arenas to bring people and countries closer together with the support of our committed stakeholders and
enthusiastic community. And we will continue to lead in that direction.
Stay safe and we will see you all soon!
The 2020 Annual Conference is coming and you can already save your seat!
This year's edition will bring to the fore how university-industry collaborations across our scientific areas - Advanced Computing, Nanotechnologies, Space-Earth Interactions, Medical Physics, Technology Innovation an Entrepreneurship - are shaping solutions for some of our societies’ most pressing challenges.
Thematic and highly-specialized masterclasses remain a central part of our Annual Conference agenda. These sessions will give attendees the chance to find out more about the latest research and innovation trends and interact with world-class experts, peers and potential partners.
Learn more about the preliminary agenda, the topics of our Masterclasses, our list of speakers and more in our website!
