Creating and sharing knowledge for telecommunications

The importance we give to graduate and postgraduate research is a main factor of our impact. Our team of internationally recognized researchers contributes to society through knowledge and innovation thus, enhancing your own employability.

IT is a private non-profit research institute in Portugal, an association of seven Portuguese universities and two companies with research and development in the broad area of telecommunications. IT research team includes about 300 researchers holding a PhD degree and about 180 PhD students. IT also hosts about 200 MSc students each year. Main thematic lines at IT are Wireless Communications, Optical Communications, Networks & Services and Basic Sciences & Enabling Technologies. IT is periodically evaluated by independent international panels appointed by the Portuguese Science Foundation. Since 2011 IT holds the statute of State Associate Laboratory.

At IT we offer excellent working conditions, multidisciplinary teams, links to some of the best international laboratories and close collaboration with leading organizations in telecommunications.

All this in Portugal, where the sun, the sea and living conditions may turn your investment into a unique personal experience.

Choose one of the positions available and don't hesitate to contact us!

Research team

Most of IT researchers holding a PhD are affiliated with a University, they have long experience with scientific research and student supervision, and they have high international recognition. Among these, 6 are IEEE Fellows, more than 50 are Associate Editors of ISI indexed Journals, and 1 is listed in the Thomson Reuters 2016 Highly Cited Researches ranking.

A rigorous internal quality policy is in place to promote high quality research, by rewarding very positive scientific results and by sanctioning underperformance. The internal quality criteria is checked and is a pre-requirement for new admissions to IT.

About 200 PhD students and 200 MSc students are hosted by IT, who team up with their supervisors in research projects, ranging from basic fundamental science to applied engineering topics.

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Scientific indicators

On average, each year IT researchers publish:

  • 10-15 books with international Editors like Springer, Elsevier, CRC or John Wiley & Sons;
  • 540 papers in international peer reviewed journals, of which about 80% are ISI indexed journals, and about 40% papers have co-authors from international peer institutions;
  • 420 communications in international conferences, of which near 5% receive a Best Paper award;
  • 15 patents filed.

IT researchers are yearly involved in about 150 R&D projects, of which typically 30% with International funding (e.g. from EU, ESA, and large international companies).

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Working environment

IT has facilities in Lisbon, Aveiro, Coimbra, Porto, Covilhã and Leiria, in all cases located in the campus of the associated universities. All sites offer excellent installations for the researchers, with access to advanced laboratory facilities.

Researchers are organized according to their working affinity with the thematic Groups of IT. Some of these groups may span across different geographical sites of IT.

IT aims to create an inspiring environment that enables researchers to reach their full potential, and derive the maximum benefit from their involvement with us. IT respects the diversity of staff and students, and welcomes applications from national and international candidates on equal opportunity basis. Selection is ruled only by merit and ability for the position.

Post-docs

If you have recently finished you PhD degree and you intend to follow a research career, consider working at IT to shape your future.

With a solid internationally recognized research team, with advanced lab infrastructures, with an amazingly broad range of research areas and comfortable critical mass spanning multiple disciplines anchored on telecommunications, from engineering to physics, including applied mathematics, IT offers uncommon strengths to ensure a solid ground to root a career.

Post-docs can be hired on a fellow-ship or on a contract, depending on the available position and type of involvement with the research team. In most cases Post-docs are integrated into project teams. In the case of contracted Post-docs, it is highly desired that they raise funding for own research, applying for research funding sources and applying to projects.

PhD students

If you just concluded your MSc degree and you are considering a research and development career in the broad area of telecommunications, you will find at IT key factors that you may consider looking at:

  • PhD students can choose between six different associated Universities to enroll for the PhD program, according to location preference. IT does not grant degrees, but once accepted at a University doctoral program under the supervision of a IT researcher, IT hosts the PhD student by providing access to its facilities including a work place, integration into working teams, and access to advanced labs and prototyping facilities.
  • PhD students can chose a supervisor among almost 250 IT researchers who are associated with universities. This large number of internationally recognized specialists ensures a fair diversity of research themes to choose from, be it on fundamental research or applied research, on focused themes or multidisciplinary.
  • Most of the research topics are integrated into national or international projects, providing objective framework for the PhD research.
  • In almost all cases our staff has strong collaboration links with peers worldwide, which ensure good integration with the cutting-edge research that is being carried out at world level.

Most of our former PhD students got excellent positions in the industry worldwide after concluding their degree. Read their stories at the IT newsletter, in the "Where are you now?" corner.

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International Collaboration

Our researchers maintain active collaboration with more than 254 labs and institutions worldwide, translating into shared work with co-authored publications, staff and student exchange and common projects.

For the past two years, more than 40% of the publications form IT researches had external coauthors from international research institutions.

Start-ups raised at IT

Some of the research developed at IT may reach a technology readiness level that is appropriate for market deployment. Since product commercialization is not part of IT’s mission, spin-offs are encouraged in these cases.

Several such spin-off were already formed from ideas that were born and nurtured at IT for some years, spanning very different areas of IT expertise in the broad area of Telecommunications.

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Living in Portugal

Why Portugal? With its nine centuries of existence as a country, with one of the oldest Universities in the world founded in Coimbra in 1290, with its bold vision in the 14th century to develop scientific knowledge to sail through uncharted seas and discover new lands from America to Asia, Portugal is today a modern country, member of the European Union, eager to invest again in science and technology. Portugal has well ranked Universities and reputed research centers and institutes, with a highly skilled and internationally recognized workforce of researchers. Combined with a friendly environment and friendly population, mild weather and low cost of living, it all makes Portugal the perfect choice to start or deepen an exciting scientific research career.

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Degree and Diploma Recognition

In the case of foreign academic degrees, and to guarantee the principle of equal treatment among applicants with national and foreign academic degrees, it is mandatory to obtain the recognition of foreign degrees and the conversion of the respective final grade to the Portuguese grading scale.

Disclaimer: the highlights bellow are given informally for the convenience of the prospective candidate. It does not replace in any form the full relevant official information that shall be obtained through DGES webpage (Direção Geral do Ensino Superior, DGES)

By Portuguese law, there are three types of degree recognition:

  • Automatic recognition - when the foreign degree is included in the list of degrees and diplomas approved by the national commission for the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas;
  • Level recognition - when automatic recognition does not apply, recognition of degree or diploma of foreign higher education may be issued by level comparability in an individualized basis, with an academic degree or Portuguese higher education diploma.
  • Specific recognition - when automatic recognition does not apply, recognition of degree or diploma of foreign higher education may be issued following a casuistic analysis of the level, duration and programmatic content, in a certain area of formation, branch of knowledge or specialty.

The recognition can be issued by any Portuguese public higher education institution, or, in case of automatic recognition, by DGES. Requests can be filed on-line. Please refer to the DGES portal


Post-Doc researchers
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Other researchers
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Choosing IT factors
Research team
249 PhD
Large critical mass, high international recognition and strong cooperation with peers worldwide are the main assets of our research team.
Laboratories
29 Facilities
Cutting-edge laboratories are available in most areas to back-up research and development.
Partnerships
9 Organizations
IT is a partnership of state Universities and companies with research in telecommunications.
Raised with us
11 Start-ups
Bold technological and scientific ideas nurtured and developed at IT became the basis of independent business.

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