CENIMAT/I3N is a national scientific research center sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, through the Foundation for Science and Technology. This center has been evaluated by a panel of international experts in the field of Materials Science and Engineering since 1996, who classified it as EXCELLENT. This grade reflects the high technical and scientific merit of the R&D activity carried out by CENIMAT researchers, translated by the quantity and quality of the scientific publications produced and the high number of scientific and technological projects. This same panel of experts also recognized that CENIMAT could be considered at a National level as “a model of excellence in the field of Materials science and engineering”. Since 2006 CENIMAT has integrated the Laboratório Associado” (I3N link para a homepage do I3N) (Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication). It is also associated with the Material Science Department/Departamento de Ciência de Materiais of Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia / Universidade Nova de Lisboa .