As of September 2022, the Hub Criativo do Beato (HCB) will host the Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI) and the Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems (LARSyS), as a result of partnership between Técnico and the Lisbon City Hall (CML).
ITI was founded in 2009, in the scope of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal Program). ITI is dedicated to the interdisciplinary field of Human-computer Interaction and explores Psychology and Social Sciences, Computer Science, Creativity and Design.
According to Nuno Jardim Nunes, Técnico professor (Department of Computer Science and Engineering – DEI) and President of ITI “changing to the new premises at the HCB, will allow Técnico to contribute to this ambitious project of CML, which is to provide companies based in the HCB with access to talent and cutting-edge research that combines technology and creativity”. The Técnico professor, who is also National Director at Portugal of CMU Portugal Program, stressed the importance of the Program, which has been going on for 15 years, and has supported more than 80 innovative projects on Information and Communication Technologies, and the creation of companies such as Unbabel, Veniam, and the two fintech unicorns Feedzai and Mambu.
“This partnership with CML shows the importance of the science conducted at Técnico, and our willingness to work with all partners: artists, entrepreneurs, companies, and be part of other innovative projects. It is also another way to strengthen ties with the city of Lisbon and its inhabitants”, says Rogério Colaço, President of Técnico.
“We’re working every day to give a new life to the HCB. I believe this is a strategic project for this city. Lisbon has positioned itself as a reference in the area of innovation. The HCB must therefore be a reality, with results, and no longer an eternal promise postponed”, said Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon. “This partnership with Técnico, which also includes the CMU Portugal Program, brings great prestige to Lisbon. Two prestigious institutions develop a successful partnership in order to create unique technology in the world. This is another sign that Lisbon is becoming one of Europe’s fastest-growing tech ecosystems”, he added.
“This project could only be achieved thanks to the intense collaboration between the academic sector, CML, companies and entrepreneurs, both nationally and internationally. We want to encourage this spirit of collaboration in the HCB, because the best projects and the best innovation come from that”.
About ITI
ITI brings together 30 PhD researchers, about 40 PhD students and more than 100 master’s students. ITI and LARSyS have a research portfolio of more than €2 million per year, which includes projects funded by Horizon 2020, EU framework programmes for research and innovation, as well as national projects such as the eGames Lab and one of the key reform agendas under Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which aims to stimulate an ecosystem of digital games that combine creativity and technology.
ITI and LARSyS have already contributed to the creation of the unicorn company Mambu, as well as several companies that are part of the eGames Lab consortium, such as WoW Systems.
About the CMU Portugal Program
The mission of the CMU Portugal Program is to place Portugal at the forefront of research and technological development in the area of Information and Communication Technologies, by promoting an innovation ecosystem with a tight coupling between cutting-edge research, world-class graduate education, and highly innovative companies in the data-driven economy. The Program, funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, is the result of a collaboration between the Portuguese government and the Carnegie Mellon University, in the area of Information and Communication Technologies. It started in October 2006, and has already been renewed until 2030. This international partnership involves 15 Portuguese universities and +150 partner companies.
