ULisboa is investing more than 20 million euros to create one of the largest digital infrastructures for science and innovation

A Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa) vai investir mais de 20 milhões de euros na criação de uma das maiores infraestruturas digitais do Ensino Superior português.

Desenvolvido em parceria entre o Instituto Superior Técnico, a Faculdade de Ciências, o Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) e a Reitoria da ULisboa, o projeto prevê a criação de uma infraestrutura distribuída, assente em dois novos datacenters: um no campus Oeiras do Instituto Superior Técnico, no Taguspark, e outro no campus da Faculdade de Ciências, na Cidade Universitária.

The University of Lisbon (ULisboa) will invest more than 20 million euros in creating one of the largest digital infrastructures in Portuguese higher education.

Developed in partnership between the Técnico ULisboa, the Ciências ULisboa, the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), and the ULisboa Rector’s Office, the project calls for the creation of a distributed infrastructure based on two new data centers: one at the Técnico ULisboa’s Oeiras campus in Taguspark, and another at the Ciências ULisboa's campus in Cidade Universitária.

The investment stems from the approval of the proposals ULISBOA CORE – Computational Omics for Resilient Economies and ULISBOA CORE+ – Sovereign AI4Science Cloud for Bio-Digital Data, under the Lisbon 2030 Regional Program. Scheduled for completion in October 2028, the new data centers will significantly increase the institution’s current technological capacity, paving the way for substantial expansion over time.

The new infrastructure will support advanced artificial intelligence services, high-performance computing, and secure data storage. The platform will support the institution’s schools, research centers, and laboratories, addressing the growing volume of scientific information generated in areas such as health, biotechnology, precision medicine, clinical research, drug discovery, and epidemiological surveillance.

One of the project’s main pillars is the creation and hosting of a sovereign cloud, which will enable the storage and processing of scientific data on infrastructure managed by the University itself. Designed to meet high standards of security, availability, and data governance, this solution will be particularly relevant for projects working with sensitive and highly complex information.

The infrastructure will also serve the ULisboa Innovation Ecosystem, supporting companies, SMEs, startups, spin-offs, and industrial partners. The goal is to promote knowledge transfer between academia and the business community, accelerate the development of new technological solutions, and strengthen the University’s capacity to transform scientific research into innovation, new products, and services.

“These data centers represent a decisive step toward strengthening the University of Lisbon’s scientific and technological capabilities and putting artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and sovereign cloud computing at the service of research, innovation, and society. With this investment, ULisboa establishes itself as a university prepared to address the major challenges in science, health, security, and the digital economy,” states Luís Ferreira, Rector of the University of Lisbon.

The project will be carried out in phases through October 2028, including the construction of infrastructure, the implementation of digital technologies, and the certification of the new data centers. With this investment, the University of Lisbon reinforces its commitment to artificial intelligence, deep tech, and biotechnology, seeking to consolidate its position as one of the country’s leading centers for research and innovation.

This project is funded by Lisboa 2030, Portugal 2030, and the European Union. European Funds Closer to You.