The Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Technical University of Lisbon, UTL) was founded in 1930 and it has over 20.000 undergraduate and post-graduate students. Three schools from UTL are involved in the Ph.D. program: Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) the engineering, science and technology school is the leading institution from UTL, while the Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão (ISEG), the school of economics and management) and the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), the school of agriculture) also participate in the program.

IST is the largest and most reputed school of engineering, science and technology in Portugal, with almost 12.000 students enrolled, of which over 1500 are post-graduates. IST’s mission is to contribute to the development of society by promoting a higher education of outstanding quality in the areas of Engineering, Science and Technology, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and by carrying out research and development activities in accordance with the highest international standards.

In addition to all of the traditional engineering specializations, programs are offered in newer areas, such as Bioengineering, Aerospace, Physics Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Industrial Management. IST has about 800 doctorates in teaching and research posts. The Technical University of Lisbon, through IST, awards doctorates (PhDs) in over 20 scientific areas. Between 2001 and 2005, 453 PhDs were awarded by UTL-IST.

The main research unit involved in the program at IST is the Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, IN+. IN+ was established by IST to undertake multidisciplinary research linking basic and applied research to technology development. IN+ is focused on issues of technology policy and sustainability, in terms of the need to balance environmental concerns with the promotion of economic development.

In addition to the development of basic research in energy and environmental-related processes, the IN+ undertakes interdisciplinary research involving technology management, policy, and entrepreneurship, attempting to understand the complex processes that underlie world-class S&T research, commercialization and management, including the protection of intellectual property and the integration of knowledge in a context of enhanced economic wealth and shared prosperity. Also an integral part of the program is the Centro de Matemática Aplicada à Previsão e Decisão Económica, CEMAPRE, the top research unit in applied mathematics, statistics and econometrics in Portugal, which is strongly linked to the Department of Mathematics of ISEG.