CoLab research meets technology commercialization

CoLab fosters innovation and entrepreneurship through large-scale collaborative research projects that link university and industry efforts. These test-bed projects seek solutions to meet current societal needs. The most promising results will be eligible for business incubation through the University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN), focused to create jobs and wealth.

The value of international partnerships

The UT Austin|Portugal CoLab is one of several international partnerships funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). FCT's International Partnerships Program provides for similar agreements with the Fraunhofer Society, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. CoLab's autonomy lends stability and momentum, while working among this larger partner base increases scope and capacity for activities and events.

CoLab programs also incorporate other international partnerships to help enrich networking opportunities and program results.

This cross-cultural research model provides potential that is unthinkable in a homogeneous context, as each researcher brings a unique skillset and personal worldview to work with others toward a common goal with common resources. As these diverse international groups work toward collaborative investigation, new ways of thinking emerge, and solutions often precipitate in new and exciting ways. This is particularly valuable for students and young investigators, as they form these relationships and new thought patterns early in their careers.

Four academic disciplines

Innovation most often occurs at the peripheries where disciplines meet. Thus (in the same way that internationality increases creative potential in research), a diversity of disciplines aimed toward one focus increases the potential for technological innovation. Since its inception CoLab has targeted Digital Media, Emerging Technologies, Advanced Computing, and Mathematics as pivotal technological goals, supported by academic disciplines to provide a sustainable foundational base for the development of "all things digital" so that Portugal may intercept the forward players in today’s global technology innovation field.