This good practice aimed to stimulate R&D activities in one of Europe's Outermost Regions by establishing partnerships with global top Universities.
The Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute (M-ITI) is located in one of Europe's Outermost Regions and operates in the interdisciplinary domain of Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Design and Social Sciences.
M-ITI's foundation principle is centered on multidisciplinary teams from different backgrounds in order to create a unique regional ecosystem that can catch the attention of potential international partners and uphance M-ITI's teams, infrastructure and R&D results.
Research & Development activities in an Outermost Region of Europe with limited human and equipment resources can be quite challenging, therefore MITIEXCELL was a specific regional project (funded under the H2020 framework) that aimed on attracting external talent (Professors and Researchers) in order to expand the critical mass of the Institution. Funding was used in developing specific Labs and Infrastructures in conjunction with the promotion and establishment of close ties with World-Recognized Universities, such as the Carnegie-Mellon Univ. and the Univ. of Texas, creating dual-degree Masters and providing the channels for the exchange of students, researchers and academics, leading to the development of new ICT solutions for several field-areas (although mostly on tourism as it's one of the Region's main sectors) and the international publication of several papers in top global conferences.
Resources needed
This project required some significant investment due to the necessity in terms of infrastructure and equipments as well as in the offer of attractive salaries for incoming foreign Human Resources.
Evidence of success
- Establishment of International Partnerships for research with Univ. College of London for instance and the close ties established with Carnegie-Mellon University and with University of Texas, with the offer of dual-degree masters on HCI;
- Definition of new flows and proccesses within M-ITI's Labs, leveraging research idea generation;
- More than 18 new international papers published;
- Development of new tools and research prototypes for the tourism sector.
Potential for learning or transfer
It's not very easy to transfer this good practice. The M-ITI EXCELL project can work as a learning example on how Outermost Regions can enhance their R&D infrastructures and chains.
Tags: ICT, Research
