Madeira-ITI is a very competitive institute that aims to achieve top-quality in research and education. In order to be successful, the institute actively seeks to collaborate with both academic and industrial partners. Our collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University is strategic and has resulted in great opportunities in research projects as well as in educational projects in the context of the MHCI program (see the Education section).

Our list of industry partners is growing and includes such names as:

Our institute is active in numerous Research & Development projects in collaboration with both academic and industrial partners. Our objectives for collaborating in R&D are the following:

• To share and expand our knowledge of the vast range of disciplines related to the activities in the institute;
• To expand our scope and research activities, offering opportunities for new talent emerging from our courses;
• To build bridges between academic research results and industry needs;
• To support and facilitate industry partners interested in establishing knowledge-intensive activities in Madeira;
• To contribute to the development and reputation of the region of Madeira.

Forms of collaboration

There are several ways we can collaborate with industry partners, varying from course sponsorships to fully established research centres. What would be the best option mainly depends on the industry partner's objectives and ambitions. Below is a brief overview, first of the options related to our Master programs, then of the options for joint research initiatives.

Sponsoring Master education

There are many good reasons to sponsor educational activities in our Master programs, getting access to our students and faculty being only the most obvious. Through sponsoring a project or course, our industry partners gain the opportunity to explore new areas in their domain and search for innovation avenues that would otherwise remain hidden due to lack of time and other resources. Many industry partners also use this opportunity to get to know our students, their prospective employees.

1. Sponsoring one of the courses in our Master programs
   Most of our courses are based on a problem-based learning approach (PBL). With strong methodical foundations, students design or develop solutions to real-world problems. Bringing in a real-world problem with practical relevance, the sponsor gets access to the students' work, which is developed under supervision of our faculty. Courses typically have a duration of 14-15 weeks.
2. Sponsored graduation projects for Master students in the Computer Science program (MEI)
   In this program, students graduate on a wide range of projects in areas of software engineering, information systems, and the technical aspects of human-computer interaction. Graduate students work on a topic relevant for the sponsor and, whether embedded in the company or remaining located at university, are supervised by faculty. A graduation project typically takes two semesters, from September until June/July.
3. Sponsoring a capstone project in the Master of Human-Computer Interaction program (MHCI)
   The 8-month capstone project in this program is executed by students in teams of 5. In these projects, the sponsor acts as client in an innovation trajectory in which the team of students conceptualise a novel service or product and develop prototypes as proof of concept. These projects are intensively supervised and also expect intensive collaboration from the client.
4. Sponsoring a project in the Master of Entertainment Technology (MET)
   The projects in this new Master program will have a similar setup as those in the MHCI program, but run over the course of 14 weeks. The sponsor will act as client and students design and develop prototypes of technological innovations in entertainment.

Joint research initiatives

1. Industry-driven research projects (+Conhecimento)
   The regional government of the autonomous region of Madeira is actively stimulating industry to initiate research and development projects in the region, through the incentive system called +Conhecimento (Knowledge+). The incentive system supports various forms of collaboration on a wide range of research areas, in projects typically ranging from 1 to 3 years, providing financial support up to 75% of project costs, with varying levels of committment from industry partners. Current examples of such collaboration with Madeira-ITI are the projects Madeira Life and ZON Service Engineering. Detailed information on this incentive system can be found in the Knowledge+ brochure made available by Madeira Tecnopolo.
2. Consultancy
   For research needs that require results in the shorter term, M-ITI can deliver consultancy and design services with involvement of faculty and researchers.
3. Madeira-based Mini-Labs
   Structural collaboration can be established in the form of so-called mini-labs - these are research laboratories established in the context of our institute. The advantages of establishing such mini-labs are: short working relations with the factuly and research teams at M-ITI, access to research outcomes from the institute, access to students at the institute, opportunities for collaborating with various R&D and industry partners in our international and regional network. In addition, the region of Madeira, with its specific geographic qualities and as a popular tourist destination, offers many opportunities for user need studies and usage evaluations with a wide range of target users.

You are invited to contact us to discuss needs and opportunities in detail.