IT - Instituto de Telecomunicações is a Portuguese research institute dedicated to creating and disseminating scientific knowledge in telecommunications and related digital technologies. Based in Lisbon, Portugal, the organisation works across several university and research sites, including Aveiro, Coimbra, Lisbon, Covilhã, Leiria and Porto, reflecting a national footprint rather than a single-campus model.
The institute’s work covers wireless and optical communications, networks and services, information and data sciences, and basic sciences and enabling technologies. It combines fundamental research with applied development, supported by laboratories and technology transfer activities. Its website highlights three main missions: research, advanced training, and innovation. IT hosts and supervises graduate and postgraduate students, and it also works with institutional partners, startups and spin-offs.
Recent activity shows a strong focus on current digital policy and infrastructure questions. Among its latest news items is participation in the IberianQCI network, a strategic project under the EuroQCI programme aimed at building a secure quantum communications network between Portugal and Spain. Other recent topics include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, energy, and digital transformation in public and scientific settings.
IT presents itself as an institute that bridges academic research and practical deployment in communications technology. Its thematic structure, spread across multiple sites and research lines, suggests a broad national role in Portugal’s telecoms and digital research ecosystem. While the institute is rooted in higher education and science, it also engages in technology transfer and collaborative projects with industry and public partners.