Portugal needs urgently to be an export-oriented country, since is very poor in natural resources and its competitiveness will be definitely closely linked to future and innovative products/markets. In order to achieve this objective, coordinated efforts among several levels will be necessary and in particular in the field of high qualified human resources.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology are at the forefront of modern research. The fast growing economy in this area requires experts who have an outstanding knowledge of nanoscience in combination with the skills to apply this knowledge in new products. A multidisciplinary scientific education is crucial to provide industry and research institutes with top quality experts who have a generic background in different subdisciplines such as electronics, physics, chemistry, materials science, biotechnology, and at the same time be experts in one particular field.

In this Nanoscience and Nanotechnology PhD program, students will learn the basics of physics, biology, and chemistry on the nanometer scale, supplemented by courses on technology and engineering to promote an understanding of practical applications. Moreover in the program the students will also be able to specialize in a certain area. The combination of a solid multidisciplinary scientific basis and an individual high level specialisation in a certain area of nanoscience is the philosophy of this doctoral program offered by the first time in Portugal.

This doctoral collaborative program provides a strong foundation in the emerging areas of nano-engineering in preparation for the workforce or for further study and research leading to a doctoral degree. Three key areas of research have been identified: nano-materials, nano-electronics and nano-biosystems.