ULusófona's CeiED Establishes New Research Hub at the University of Madeira

The Scientific Council of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development (CeiED), a research unit at Lusófona University, approved at its plenary meeting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) established with the Research Centre for Education at the University of Madeira (CIE-UMa).

This document implements the Interinstitutional Collaboration Agreement previously signed by the rectors of both universities, marking a new phase of scientific cooperation, advanced education and knowledge transfer in the field of Education.

The partnership's main innovation is the formal establishment of the CeiED Research Hub at the University of Madeira, which will operate in close collaboration with CIE-UMa. This new scientific cooperation structure is designed to develop joint research projects, promote the internationalisation of research and strengthen the research capacity of both institutions.

The hub will operate in accordance with the scientific regulations and guidelines of CeiED's headquarters at Lusófona University and will be coordinated by a local researcher who will serve on the Centre's Scientific Council.

As a first practical step, the agreement provides for the integration of at least four PhD researchers from CIE-UMa as integrated members of CeiED, ensuring compliance with A3ES eligibility requirements for Doctoral programmes in Education.

This integration, which will be duly reflected on the CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID and FCT platforms, does not affect the researchers' institutional affiliation with the University of Madeira. Whenever possible, they will adopt dual affiliation in their scientific activities.

The collaboration will run throughout the current FCT research unit funding cycle (2025–2029).

During this period, each research centre will retain autonomous management of its core funding, while joint initiatives—such as academic mobility, international consortia and doctoral co-supervision—will be financed through collaborative projects, contracts or service agreements.

The partnership ultimately aims to consolidate a scientific agenda that supports schools, informs public policy and benefits society, generating a significant impact on educational development both nationally and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.