Portugal-Berkeley Program has new partnerships. The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) signed new cooperation agreements under the Portugal-Berkeley Program in January.

Created in 2025, through a memorandum of understanding between the three institutions, the Portugal-Berkeley Program has as its main objective to promote academic exchange and scientific collaboration between Portuguese universities and UC Berkeley, while strengthening ties with the Portuguese-American community in California. The new agreements establish a framework for cooperation, which aims to benefit students, researchers and the academic community of both countries.

FCT and the Center for Portuguese Studies at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) signed a protocol, which includes the annual award of three scholarships to cover travel costs for students with a master’s degree, from a higher education institution and who have been invited to do a PhD at UC Berkeley, seven scholarships for visiting professors with affiliation with a Portuguese higher education institution at UC Berkeley, two scholarships for participation in the Ana Hatherly Program – Residency for writers/artists of Portuguese literature or art residing in Portugal, and seven scholarships to support UC Berkeley professors and researchers to hold conferences and research in Portugal. In addition, it includes support for the acquisition of books in Portuguese for the UC Berkeley Doe Library, funding for university services and visa fees for eight visiting Portuguese PhD students at UC Berkeley, as well as support for holding conferences, colloquia and events at the UC Berkeley Center for Portuguese Studies, dedicated to Portugal and the Portuguese diaspora. This initiative has funding of €285,000 (€95,000/year) from FCT and has a duration of 3 years, between 2025 and 2027.

In turn, FLAD, a partner of the Center for Portuguese Studies at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) since 1998, signed a new Protocol to ensure the hiring of an Executive Director of the Center. This place will ensure the operationalization of initiatives related to the Portugal-Berkeley Program, support for students and researchers involved, as well as communication efforts and involvement of the different faculties and departments at Berkeley with a view to greater adherence and leverage of the opportunities offered. This initiative has a funding of $150,000 ($50,000/year) from FLAD and lasts for 3 years, between 2025 and 2027.

The Portugal-Berkeley Program also supports Portuguese students or Portuguese descendants and, through the Pinto-Fialon Fund, awards scholarships for undergraduate, master’s or doctoral studies at UC Berkeley. In addition, it offers research grants to PhD students who need to do research in Portugal or who have been invited to participate in a conference in Portugal and to undergraduate students who will participate in the new internship program at the Pedro Nunes Institute, established in cooperation with FLAD/Study in Portugal Network and the University of Coimbra.

The Center for Portuguese Studies at UC Berkeley, part of the Institute of European Studies, is the entity responsible for managing this program, with an online page with all the information available about the various opportunities of the program and respective applications.