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The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has recently appointed the new national leadership teams for the three international partnerships with North American universities. In the case of the UT Austin Portugal Program, Rui Oliveira (Director of INESC TEC and professor at the University of Minho) will act as co-director alongside Rute André, professor at the University of Aveiro and researcher at CICECO. The partnerships with UT Austin, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Carnegie Mellon University have been renewed by the Portuguese Government until 2030 and now include a Mission Structure, coordinated by José Manuel Mendonça, President Emeritus of INESC TEC.
11th December 2025
The goal? To advance the development of a European foundation model of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for energy grids - a strategic project for the future of the European Union’s (EU) energy system. The means? The “Workshop on the European AI Foundation Model for Energy Grids”, organised by the European Commission, Fraunhofer FIT, INESC TEC and NTUA (namely DG ENER) on 8 December, in Brussels. The actors? First and foremost, INESC TEC, which played an active and key role at the event, with researcher Ricardo Bessa representing the Institute, but also electricity distribution and transmission system operators (DSOs and TSOs), other research institutions, European AI Factories, sector associations and representatives of the European Commission.
11th December 2025
At a time when the complexity and popularity of data-driven applications are growing at an unprecedented rate, INESC TEC and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) are collaborating on a project to tackle one of the most debated challenges in the field: the efficiency of the data-processing systems that support these applications. The project, called ADAPQO, aims to transform the way databases make decisions. In modern database systems, the optimiser is the component responsible for determining the best way to execute each user query. Faced with millions of potential alternatives, this decision has become increasingly difficult, with a direct impact on performance and system efficiency - especially in a context where the diversity of databases is expanding to meet the needs of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. To address this challenge, ADAPQO aims to develop a new type of optimiser capable of learning from experience and continuously improving decision-making capabilities. “The vision is to create an autonomous service that collects knowledge over time and can be easily integrated into different data management systems,” said José Orlando Pereira. “Beyond the technological impact, the initiative is also expected to accelerate research and boost advanced training in the field of databases,” added the researcher, who is also a professor at the University of Minho. Building on an already well-established research line at INESC TEC, the Institute is represented by José Orlando Pereira, Ana Nunes Alonso and Nuno Faria, INESC TEC researchers in databases, who coordinate the Portuguese component of the project and participate actively in the scientific and technological development. Concerning the U.S.A., the project involves the collaboration of Andy Pavlo, leader of the CMU Database Group and an international reference in the field. The researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC and UMinho.
11th December 2025
The PASSiON Care Prototype - an adaptable and patient-centred clinical platform for the rehabilitation of people with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy – was recently awarded by the Northern Regional Section of the Ordem dos Enfermeiros. The solution was developed by a multidisciplinary team bringing together INESC TEC, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS) and the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (ESS-IPVC).
10th December 2025
The Centre of Excellence led by INESC TEC – INESCTEC.OCEAN -, the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) and MARBLE (Centre of Excellence in Marine Robotics and Maritime Technologies) have formalised an agreement for multilateral collaboration in ocean-related innovation. In the Cypriot city of Limassol, the INESC TEC research team also took part in the Breaking the Surface workshop, securing the second place in an underwater acoustic detection challenge.
09th December 2025
Did you know it is possible to detect contaminants in water using optical systems? INESC TEC aims to take this detection to a new level, by developing a new generation of optical sensors based on metamaterials, capable of achieving superior results in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and the ability to analyse multiple compounds simultaneously. This is the approach proposed by the WaveSense project, which seeks to overcome the limitations of current optical detection systems.
09th December 2025
INESC TEC took part in the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels on 9 December, contributing to and co-leading the EP-EARTO Breakfast Event “Future of EU Investments in Critical Technologies”. The event brought together Members of the European Parliament, European research institutions, and industry representatives to discuss the future of European Union investment in critical technologies and the role of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the next Framework Programme (FP10).
09th December 2025
Another INESC TEC researcher has been elevated to IEEE Fellow – one of the most prestigious recognitions in the field of engineering: Ricardo Bessa, a researcher at INESC TEC - where he leads the Power & Energy Systems area -, was acknowledged for his “contributions to renewable energy forecasting and the integration in decision-support tools,” as stated in the note sent by Kathleen A. Kramer, IEEE President and CEO.
04th December 2025
INESC TEC is running a series of workshops to share experiences on using tools to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape. The sessions will take place until February 2026.
02nd December 2025
More than four decades have passed since José Nuno Oliveira first stepped into the University of Minho (UMinho). On 14 November, Auditorium A1 at the Gualtar Campus in Braga was the setting for a farewell that stirred emotions and memories. The UMinho community – and beyond – gathered to celebrate José Nuno Oliveira’s dedication to teaching, research, and the training of generations in Computer Engineering.
28th November 2025
Bilbao hosted Europe’s largest energy event - Enlit Europe. Over three days (18-20 November), the Spanish city brought together thousands of people dedicated to research, industry, and public policies, among others, with clear goals: to connect stakeholders, inspire action, and help Europe continue to build an energy system based on decarbonisation and digitalisation. INESC TEC once again answered the call and was represented across several domains.
28th November 2025
Solutions for operating robots in outdoor environments with limited communication infrastructures, and for drawing on irregular objects, have earned honourable mentions for INESC TEC researchers.
28th November 2025