The universities of Minho, Aveiro, and Porto are presently home to significant and highly competitive international-level scientific research in Physics.  The combined faculty comprises 133 doctorate members, plus a significant number of other researchers directly connected to the many scientific areas of the programme. The joint scientific skills and proved experience in student supervision made available through the MAP-fis programme provide an ideal structure for the advanced training of young researchers in Portugal. 

The programme is directly supported by the Physics departments of the three universities, and by the research units and laboratories directly associated with these departments, namely 5 Associate Laboratories (CICECO, CESAM, FSCOSD – I3N, IFIMUP – IN and INESC Porto) and 3 research units (CFP, CFUM and CIDTFF). These presently rank among the top national research institutions, which makes them a fertile ground for a successful third-cycle programme in Physics.  

This consortium contains significant human and material resources, capable of supporting a large number of research fields of high scientific and technological interest, thus ensuring a training level of excellence. 

The MAP-fis programme will initially focus on the following major scientific areas:

• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Condensed-matter Physics / Nanoscience
• Theoretical and Computational Physics
• Meteorology and Oceanography
• Optics and Photonics