Portugal’s FEUP and Singapore’s NTU sign Additive Manufacturing R&D agreement
The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), Portugal, has signed a collaboration agreement with the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) focused on establishing a stable framework for scientific cooperation in Additive Manufacturing, including advanced researcher mobility, joint research, and integrated doctoral training in priority areas. This agreement builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year.
Workshop kicks off ADAPT
The agreement was celebrated during the workshop Additive Manufacturing Processes and Technologies, held at FEUP, with the participation of Rector António Sousa Pereira, NTU Vice-President for Industry Khin Yong Lam, SC3DP Executive Director Paulo Bártolo, and FEUP Associate Director for Internationalisation Gil Gonçalves.
In his opening remarks, FEUP Director Rui Calçada stated that this collaboration marks a significant step in the international recognition of the institutions’ Additive Manufacturing faculty.
“The signing of this protocol with NTU represents a decisive step in FEUP’s international affirmation in Additive Manufacturing,” Calçada explained. “This collaboration allows us to integrate a transcontinental scientific ecosystem, combining FEUP’s strengths – from sustainable materials to advanced design, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence – with SC3DP’s world-class infrastructure and strong industry ties.”
He continued, “By creating conditions for extended research internships in Singapore and for the joint development of the ADAPT doctoral programme, we are strengthening the training of highly qualified talent and expanding our capacity to generate knowledge with real societal impact. This partnership exemplifies our Strategic Plan’s ambition: to make FEUP a global engineering school, oriented toward innovation, interdisciplinarity, and addressing the great challenges of the future.”
The event also presented the ADAPT (Advanced Doctoral Programme in Additive Manufacturing Processes and Technologies), jointly designed by FEUP and SC3DP. This programme aims to train top researchers in areas such as sustainable and functional materials, automation and intelligent process control, generative design, digital twins, explainable AI, and sustainability applied to Additive Manufacturing.
Advanced mobility for doctoral students under SRAP
The collaboration agreement outlines FEUP’s participation in the Singapore Research Attachment Programme (SRAP) through which NTU will host between six and ten FEUP doctoral students from 2026-2029 for research internships lasting one to two years. Students will benefit from access to world-class laboratories and strong links to Singapore’s industrial and technological ecosystem.
ADAPT responds to the traditional fragmentation of Additive Manufacturing research, proposing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates materials, processes, and digitalisation. It focuses on five priority areas: advanced materials, process engineering, generative design and topological optimisation, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.
Internationalisation and global innovation ecosystem
“Structured cooperation with NTU’s SC3DP is fully aligned with FEUP’s internationalisation strategy, which prioritises partnerships of high scientific rigour, long-term continuity, and strong innovation and industry connections,” stated Gil Gonçalves, FEUP’s Associate Director for Internationalisation.
“This agreement creates a framework for advanced mobility for our doctoral students, strengthens joint research networks, and positions FEUP within a global consortium of excellence in Additive Manufacturing,” he continued. “Through ADAPT, we promote interdisciplinary training in critical STEM areas, reinforcing FEUP’s integration into highly competitive international contexts and expanding the visibility and impact of our research worldwide.”
