Alexandre F. Silva and João P. Barreto are the new directors of the MIT Portugal Program
The MIT Portugal Program is celebrating two decades and, over the next five years, will be co-directed by Alexandre Ferreira da Silva, from the University of Minho (UMinho), and João Pedro Barreto, from the University of Coimbra (UC).
This fourth phase of the partnership between Portugal – through its universities, companies, associations, and government – and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US aims to leave a strong mark on national education, research, and innovation. The collaboration has already resulted in dozens of new companies and patents, as well as several hundred graduates.
The new phase will focus on Chips/Nanotechnology, Space, Artificial Intelligence, and Energy. The Program intends to concentrate on four main goals: strengthening the country’s innovation capacity and competitiveness, promoting cutting-edge science aligned with national and European priorities, training a new generation of scientific and entrepreneurial leaders, and transforming advanced technological innovation into global market solutions.
“MIT Portugal has had a major impact on young people who, like me, pursued graduate studies through this international partnership and who today hold prominent positions in their professional careers,” emphasizes Alexandre Ferreira da Silva. “The Program has also had a significant impact on Portuguese faculty and researchers by promoting and stimulating collaborative projects on both sides of the Atlantic,” adds the professor at UMinho’s School of Engineering (EEUM).
It was an entrepreneurship initiative within MIT Portugal that led João Pedro Barreto to found a university-based technology start-up. “From experience, I know that programs like this can be deeply transformative and help bring out the best in us – whether we are students, scientists, entrepreneurs, or business leaders; ultimately, it is that best version of ourselves that allows us to contribute to a more prosperous and fair country,” says the professor at UC’s Faculty of Science and Technology.
The new directors aim to continue the initiative’s legacy, which has strengthened the national scientific and technological system and served as a driving force for economic value creation. The MIT Portugal Program is headquartered on the Azurém campus in Guimarães.
The previous director, Pedro Arezes, will become the new Rector of the University of Minho in December 2025.
Short interview with Pedro Arezes on his 10 years of leadership of the Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sax-JEa97p0&t=28s
Biographical Notes
Alexandre Ferreira da Silva was executive coordinator of the MIT Portugal Program from 2018 to 2021 and led “Prometheus,” a CMU Portugal project that launched the first Portuguese PocketQube and UMinho’s first satellite into space. He is a professor in the Department of Industrial Electronics at UMinho, a guest instructor at the International Space University (ISU), and a researcher at the Center for Electromechanical Microsystems. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and earned his PhD in Leaders for Technical Industries under the MIT Portugal Program, also at UMinho. He completed advanced studies in Space Studies and CubeSat development at ISU, and conducted research at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) and at MIT. His work bridges academia and industry in aerospace engineering, electronic instrumentation, and microsystems.
João Pedro Barreto is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC, as well as R&D director and technical fellow at a global leader in sports medicine and orthopedic reconstruction medical devices. A recognized expert in 3D computer vision, he has authored over one hundred scientific publications, holds around twenty international patents, and has received several awards, including the Google Faculty Research Award. He holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UC and has worked as a researcher at INRIA Rhône-Alpes (France) and the University of Pennsylvania (USA). He has been an area chair at major conferences in his field, has served as an editor for several scientific journals, and is an expert evaluator for the European Commission. He was the founder and CEO of Perceive3D, a UC spin-off that innovated in computer-assisted surgery. The company was recognized by the European Commission and the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property.