UT Austin-Portugal + SHiFT

The UT Austin-Portugal (CoLab) Program, launched in March 2007, is a long term collaborative project that aims to enlarge significantly the research and post-graduate studies in emerging technologies, with a particular emphasis on Digital Media, Advanced Computing and Mathematics. The program also wants to increase the commercialization of science and technology between Portugal and the global markets.

This program involves a partnership between the University of Texas and several Portuguese universities and laboratories and it's main objective is to strengthen joint investigation and advanced education on a short term and make so that this collaborative project is able to continue at the end of the 5 years of the CoLab Program.

As a way of co-promotion, UT Austin Portugal and SHiFT have partnered to bring portuguese students and educators a broader access to technology discussions and conversations. The first result of this partnership is the interchange of speakers in the events that both this entities promote and we're glad to have Geoff Marslett as a speaker for this years SHiFT next October. Geoff will be presenting on "Digital Tools as an extension of animated ideas" but also giving out a workshop during the first day of SHiFT.

Somedays before Porto will host The FUTURE PLACES Festival, a celebration of digital media work
currently being produced in Portugal and around the world, where SHiFT will also be represented with a small presentation on it's last day about how to use technology to leverage and help sprout local communities . The festival will feature web, digital video, and installation art work, as well as electronic music, 3D graphics, cell phone art and productions related to locative media, games and hybrid realities. We are interested in creative and new languages for interactive and visual expression, and their impact on culture, society and public space.