The establishment of the International Relations Service (SRI) led to the creation of the International Mobility initiative, which aims to contribute to the internationalisation of the organisation, acting both in inbound mobility actions and outbound mobility actions.
One of the main actions is to support in welcoming employees from different regions. In liaison with the Human Resources service, the International Mobility area monitors and supports the entire relocation process: from the moment of selection until the arrival at INESC TEC.
The objective is to contribute to the simplification of the processes associated with mobility, like obtaining a visa, seeking accommodation, obtaining a taxpayer number, opening a bank account in Portugal, etc. In this sense, the service designed supporting documentation, like the Mobility Quick Guide, which provides guidelines for those who will start a mobility process, in a simple and direct way. Plus, and to analyse the first steps after arriving in Portugal, the SRI also implemented the Welcome Appointment. This is an online and individual meeting with the employees who are preparing to arrive in Portugal, and a perfect opportunity to ask questions and reassure those who are about to embark on this new collaboration.
The new employees also benefit from the support of the Network of Intercultural Ambassadors, a group of volunteers from different countries who are available to guide the welcoming process – in close liaison with SRI.
It’s worth mentioning that INESC TEC fosters an intercultural and diverse environment. In March 2024, our community welcomes more than 220 foreign members, from 40 nationalities. (please check Figure 1)
Also considering mobility actions, the International Mobility initiative has been actively engaged in the implementation and monitoring of the International Visiting Researcher Programme, supported by the Board of Directors at INESC TEC.
Based on the success of the 2022 and 2023 editions, the call for the third edition opened on March 15. Researchers – including master’s and PhD students – affiliated with organisations/universities outside Portugal (regardless of their nationality) who are interested in working with experienced researchers and in a multidisciplinary and intercultural environment, can submit their application until May 15. The research internships will take place between July 15, 2024, and July 31, 2025, with a minimum duration of one month and a maximum of three.
This edition features a list of 76 research themes covering seven scientific domains: Artificial Intelligence, Bioengineering, Communications, Computer Science and Engineering, Power Systems, Systems Engineering and Management, and Robotics.
This programme opens the door to the world, allowing us to leverage fruitful and lasting collaborations. Here are the testimonies by some of the participants in the 2022 and 2023 editions.
- “Doing a research internship in a different country, in this case at INESC TEC in Porto, Portugal was very enriching for my PhD as I exchanged knowledge also with a different research culture and environment and received guidance from supervisors, experts in a pertinent topic to my research project, complementing the guidance at my home institution. Furthermore, we opened the path for future collaborations.”
Itzel Castro
November 28, 2022 – February 27, 2023 (First Edition)
Scientific hosts: Tânia Pereira and Hélder Oliveira
Centre for Telecommunications and Multimedia (CTM)
- “It was wonderful to be a part of the INESC TEC team (even for a short time!). As part of the visiting researcher programme, I was able to achieve two main goals:
– work on a research project with Dr. Carvalho, concentrating on Using Local and Flexibility Markets in modern Distribution Systems Operation. This area of research is very much needed, as countries and continents transition to more and more renewable energies. Distribution systems need to evolve and be able to integrate a large number of renewable energy sources, as well as smart (managed) loads and advanced power electronics. And this makes it a very interesting area of research!
– develop first steps for planning a future, more formal collaboration between INESC TEC and NMSU, to engage with each other in areas of mutual interest, including but not limited to the following: Power and Energy Systems and Smart Agriculture. This is a very important outcome, and we are hoping that it will serve as a productive mechanism for expanding the collaboration between INESCTEC and NMSU. “
Olga Lavrova
May 16 – July 31, 2023 (First Edition)
Scientific host: Leonel de Magalhães Carvalho
(Centre for Power and Energy Systems)
- “During my internship at INESC TEC, I had the amazing chance to be part of groundbreaking research in process modeling. I was able to develop a new approach that improves how we understand and work with process models, making them more efficient and effective. My time at INESC TEC has been truly inspiring, shaping my passion for innovation and giving me valuable skills that I’ll carry forward in my future endeavors.”
Juan Colonna
December 15, 2023 – March 14, 2024 (Second Edition)
Scientific hosts: Ricardo Teixeira Sousa and Ahmed Adel Fares
Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Decision Support (LIAAD)
Regarding outbound mobility actions, it’s worth pointing out the International Internship Program at the National Institute of Informatics (NII), in Japan, and OpenInnoTrain, both based on their own funding schemes. These initiatives aim to increase the participation of the institution’s employees in international mobility programmes, enabling their contact with internationalisation, while increasing their network of contacts, and creating opportunities to establish international collaborations.
The calls of the International Internship Program at NII are based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the NII and INESC TEC, and they target master’s or PhD researchers.
The SRI, through the International Mobility area, took over the dissemination and management of said calls in 2020, and since then there have been seven admissions, whose internships took place online (especially during the pandemic period) and in person. There are currently three stages under the last call. The news piece about the participation of three researchers in the International Internship Program at the NII is available here.
OpenInnoTrain (Open Innovation (OI), University-Industry Cooperation (UIC) and Research Translation (RT)) is a secondment programme that allows INESC TEC employees to spend a period at a given company part of this consortium, towards bridging the gap between research and the market. You can read some of the participants’ testimonies here.
Hence, the International Relations Service – through International Mobility actions – contributes to the support in attracting and retaining international talent, through the simplification and harmonisation of the relocation and integration processes; the implementation and management of mobility programmes, both internally and externally, fosters the community’s openness to internationalisation, also creating opportunities to create or improve the network of contacts, and structured and lasting institutional collaborations.
We foster a community based on diversity (“United in diversity” – EU Motto) and interculturality; and in this diversity, we find the consensus to contribute “to a full and sustainable future, through science, technology and innovation with impact”.
If you are reading this opinion piece, and you’re interested in learning more about how to be part of the INESC TEC team, check out the Work with Us section. If your goal is to do a research internship at a top research institution, with experienced researchers, the INESC TEC International Visiting Researcher Programme 2024 may be your opportunity. Make sure to check the call and analyse it, to understand if you comply with the eligibility requirements.
Vera Pinto, Technical Specialist
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