INESC-ID

Category: Highlights

  • Serious games go to Parliament: INESC-ID showcases research-driven play for inclusion, trust and social good 

    Serious games go to Parliament: INESC-ID showcases research-driven play for inclusion, trust and social good 

    In the house of democracy, all sorts of games are played. But on October 22, a few members of parliament and advisors only had to cross the street from Assembleia da República to Casa do Parlamento, an interactive and multimedia centre dedicated to the history and functioning of the Portuguese Parliament, to step into a different kind of game: discovering how video games are being used for social good, including contributions from INESC-ID in the field of serious games and Portugal’s video game industry. 

    This special edition of Game Break, organised by the Gaming Hub at Unicorn Factory Lisboa, with the support of the Portuguese Video Game Producers Association (APVP), brought together policymakers, researchers, industry professionals, universities and civil society to explore together how video games are shaping the future of the sector in Portugal.

    Inês Lobo and Miguel Belbute, PhD students in the Artificial Intelligence for People and Society scientific area (at GAIPS), represented INESC-ID with interactive demonstrations of two serious games: All Sustainable and Geometry Friends. Both projects reflect the institute’s thematic line on Societal Digital Transformation, which explores how digital technologies can empower informed decision-making and promote inclusivity and positive social change.

    Co-designing sustainability and inclusion 

    All Sustainable, a digital game designed to teach sustainability concepts, is the result of a collaboration between INESC-ID researchers at GAIPS and users from CERCIOEIRAS. Across five co-design sessions, participants contributed to the game’s content and structure, from defining challenges related to sustainability and independent living, to deciding gameplay elements like narrative, rules, and characters. This gave participants a chance to help develop something they found both relevant and fun, reinforcing the inclusive philosophy behind the project. 

    Initially created for people with intellectual disabilities, the game has proven to be a valuable tool for helping children develop sustainability-related skills. It is now also being adopted in schools.
    “It’s incredibly rewarding to develop these games for minority groups and to see more people interested in getting them to those who need them,” says Miguel Belbute. “But what excites me most is seeing the results. For instance seeing neurodivergent children play and knowing it’s making a difference.” 

    For Miguel, who enjoys showing the “human” side of games, the fact that All Sustainable was co-designed with people with intellectual disabilities allows to better understand their relationship with digital games and what really connects them to the experience. That was one of the key messages he and Inês Lobo shared with the many visitors, from parliamentary advisors and game industry professionals to university professors and students from across the country. 

    Trust isn’t a simple game 

    In turn, Geometry Friends, demonstrated by Inês, is a 2D puzzle platformer game where two characters, a circle and a rectangle, each with unique movement abilities, must collaborate to collect diamonds and complete levels. Designed as a cooperative game, the characters, representing a human and an autonomous agent, need to work together to reach a common goal. 

    “In our study, we use this game to explore how people perceive different types of agents — those that lead the game and those that follow the player’s plan,” she explains. 

    The reactions, Inês notes, are far from predictable. “They depend not only on personal preferences, such as favouring cooperative or competitive games, but also on the framing of the game itself: whether it’s presented as a collaborative mission or not.” 

    Also developed by GAIPS , Geometry Friends serves as a platform for AI research, including reinforcement learning and studies in human-agent collaboration. Its design requires players, whether human or AI, to combine efforts and unique capabilities, making it an ideal “laboratory” for developing artificial intelligence. The game provides inexpensive virtual simulations where algorithms can be tested and refined across thousands of interactions; research that has direct implications for the design of systems we interact with every day, from virtual assistants to social robots. 

    Serious games, a serious business 

    Serious games are not designed to simply entertain, but to educate, train and inform. Used in contexts such as education, healthcare or professional training, these games are gaining ground as tools for social transformation. 

    Miguel and Inês noted that several members of parliament showed genuine curiosity. “The majority had no idea about the dimension of the gaming industry or what was happening in the field,” Miguel shared. 

    In fact, far from being just child’s play, according to a study by Bain & Company, video games are already the world’s largest entertainment industry, expected to generate €190 billion in revenue in 2025. Serious games are also growing fast, with a market estimated at €14 billion and annual growth rates of up to 25% through 2030. In Portugal, with over 160 active video game studios, projected 2024 revenues above €100 million and a 60% annual growth, the national video game industry is thriving.

    As digital technologies increasingly influence how we learn, decide, and engage with each other, INESC-ID has an important role to play. The growing momentum of the video game industry — and the research driving it — holds real potential for impact. And if we want a more participatory and inclusive democracy, maybe it’s time we start taking games more seriously. 

    —
    Text by Rodrigo Abril de Abreu | Head of Communications and Outreach Office, INESC-ID
    © 2025 INESC-ID. Credit INESC-ID and the author, with a link to the original source, when sharing this article.

    Images: APVP

  • INESC‑ID Annual Meeting 2025: Year in review, showcasing excellence and a Town Hall

    INESC‑ID Annual Meeting 2025: Year in review, showcasing excellence and a Town Hall

    After a two‑year hiatus, in which the annual meeting was held jointly with INOV and INESC MN under the INESC Lisboa initiative, INESC-ID returned to hosting its own dedicated gathering. 

    This year’s venue was Vila Galé Sintra, on an autumn day shrouded in the region’s characteristic fog, which gradually revealed  Palácio da Pena atop the hill and the historical town of Sintra below. With a record participation of nearly 200 members, the meeting took place on October 23 in this symbolic setting, associated for centuries with moments of retreat and reflection. 

    “I enjoyed seeing all of INESC-ID at the same venue , which is a rare sight and a first time for me. It gave me a more complete perspective of how many research projects there are.” – PhD student

    Institutional overview, support teams in the spotlight, and a thought-provoking talk 

    Inês Lynce, President of the Board of Directors, opened the first session of the day, stepping in for Executive Committee Director Miguel Pupo Correia, who was away on professional duties in the U.S. She was joined by Executive Director João Paulo Carvalho, who presented a profile of the INESC-ID community, including upcoming infrastructure plans and challenges. He was followed by fellow Executive Director Nuno Roma, who offered a detailed account of the institute’s current financial situation. 

    Next came a session dedicated to INESC-ID’s support offices, with brief presentations from the teams who, often behind the scenes, play a vital role in the institute’s daily life. Executive Director Helena Galhardas spoke for Administrative Support and Technological Infrastructures, followed by Elisabete Rodrigues and Sandra Sá (Board Support), Vanda Fidalgo (Human Resources), Sílvia Castro (Innovation Management), Sandra Aresta (Knowledge Transfer), and Rodrigo Abril de Abreu (Communications and Outreach).

    The morning concluded with an inspiring talk by guest speaker João Rocha, Full Professor of Chemistry at the University of Aveiro and current Coordinator of the Council of Associated Laboratories. He reflected on the functional model of CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, which he led from 2002 to 2021, the role of fundamental research in national development, and the challenges of large-scale scientific coordination. The session ended on a lively note with an open exchange of questions from the audience. 

    European projects, research on the walls, and a new format for dialogue 

    The afternoon began with a presentation by researcher Hugo Morais, from the Sustainable Power Systems scientific area, on his extensive experience with European projects. Together with his team (Rita Nunes, Mariana Carmo, and Cindy Gusman), he shared the structure they have developed over the years, with a strong track record in securing European funding, offering practical advice, strategies, and lessons learned for those looking to follow a similar path. The session aimed to inspire other researchers to join this European research ecosystem. 

    Mid-afternoon, alongside a coffee break dedicated to conversation, reconnection and networking, came the PhD Students’ Poster Session. Transforming the event walls into a showcase, the exhibition featured one poster selected by each Scientific Area coordinator, highlighting the diversity and quality of research underway at INESC-ID. This session also marked the second part of the 2nd Annual Meeting of INESC-ID PhD Students, whose first segment took place in September, and reinforced the active role of students in the institute’s life. 

    The closing session, led by Luís Oliveira e Silva, introduced a new format: the Town Hall – an open conversation between the Board of Directors and the INESC-ID community, held in a Q&A format. The directors addressed questions posed primarily by PhD students, who represented around one-third of participants this year, on topics ranging from the institute’s visibility and student recruitment strategies, to support during and after the PhD journey. This final moment promoted transparency, feedback, and collective reflection on the future of the institute. 

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    © 2025 INESC-ID
    Images: © 2025 INESC-ID

  • “Healthy Mind, PhD in Progress”: Supporting PhD Student Wellbeing at INESC-ID

    “Healthy Mind, PhD in Progress”: Supporting PhD Student Wellbeing at INESC-ID

    Can research institutes excel without caring for the wellbeing of their people?

    It’s increasingly clear that real excellence in R&D+i is not just about brains or breakthroughs, it’s also about the social support systems behind them. With initiatives like the PhD Students Meetup on mental health and wellbeing last June, INESC-ID is taking part in this shift towards a new scientific culture.

    For many PhD students, the path toward a scientific career can be isolating. That’s why moments like the INESC-ID PhD Students Meetups matter. Part of an ongoing series of community-building initiatives designed to connect and empower our students, June’s event brought together around 20 participants from different research areas and stages of their doctoral journey for a hands-on workshop titled “Mente Sã: PhD em Progresso” (Healthy Mind: PhD in Progress). The session was led by Carla Boura, Coordinator of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Program at the University of Lisbon, and former Head of Student Support at Técnico’s Oeiras campus, both key institutions in the INESC-ID ecosystem.

    Over the course of the half-day session, students paused, reflected, and explored tools to support their mental wellbeing – from recognising signs of psychological distress to practicing self-care and stress management strategies, including breathing and meditation exercises. The workshop also invited group discussions and joint reflection on common challenges, long-term wellbeing practices, and available resources.

    A structural problem: stress, isolation, and academic pressure

    The session began by framing the structural pressures faced by PhD students, including the solitary nature of certain research fields, a competitive culture, and the absence of a strong academic community.

    A global survey of over 6000 PhD students, reported in a 2019 Nature article by Chris Woolston, found that more than one-third sought help for anxiety or depression with many other reporting mental health struggles. The study also showed that students face multiple pressures. External factors include unstable funding, unclear career prospects, excessive workloads, or lack of institutional support. Internal challenges like imposter syndrome, anxiety or burnout, are also common. Nearly one in five students also reported experiencing bullying or harassment. For international students, visa issues and cultural adaptation can add another layer of stress and isolation.

    These stressors resonated with the students present, who shared their challenges in a rare moment of openness, made possible by the atmosphere of trust in the room. As Beatriz put it “What I liked the most was the caring environment, feeling like a safe space to share my experiences, and the practical tools and exercises to help with my emotions.” For Joana, “seeing that everyone has the same struggles during a PhD, and getting to know other INESC-ID students” was just as valuable.

    Carla, who launched Portugal’s first academic mentoring program at Instituto Superior Técnico in 1997, and actively participates in wellbeing and inclusion initiatives, isn’t surprised by this reaction:

    “There’s a misconception that PhD students, being older and having prior university experience, don’t need support. But everyone needs help at some point, regardless of age, and in a student community where more and more go directly from a Master’s to a PhD, that support becomes even more essential.”

    She adds there’s often a lack of literacy around the topic and “in the case of doctoral students, prevention can be essential for a healthy journey”. Her remarks echoed student feedback, with one suggesting the inclusion of this kind of session during the onboarding process, while others highlighted that connecting with peers was just as important as the content itself.

    Mental wellbeing as a foundation for excellence

    According to Carla, the University of Lisbon has taken an important step in building this culture “once and for all”,  aligning with the Nature article’s call for universities, supervisors, and funders to create healthier research environments and concrete support structures. Through its Mental Health and Wellbeing Program and Academic Success Project, the goal is to pave the way for psychologically safe environments that are “essential to developing creative, motivated, and dynamic students.”

    In a field defined by high intelectual demands, small gestures can make a big difference. As Carla Boura reflected, “Initiatives like this one – bringing the University of Lisbon’s Mental Health Program to your students – can truly have an impact.”

    At INESC-ID, home to nearly 200 PhD students, wellbeing and mental health are part of the conversation, not as a side note, but as a condition for excellence.

    More information about ULisboa’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Program (in Portuguese) here.

    Psychological First Aid Manual – University of Lisbon (PDF, in Portuguese) here.

    —
    Text by Rodrigo Abril de Abreu | Head of Communications and Outreach Office, INESC-ID
    © 2025 INESC-ID. Credit INESC-ID and the author, with a link to the original source, when sharing this article.

    Images | © 2025 INESC-ID

  • João Ferreira wins Amazon Research Award for work on Automated Program Repair

    João Ferreira wins Amazon Research Award for work on Automated Program Repair

    João Ferreira, researcher at INESC-ID’s Automated Reasoning and Software Reliability and Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI), has been named one of the recipients of the Amazon Research Award (ARA) – Fall 2024, in the highly competitive field of Automated Reasoning.

    His winning proposal, titled “Polyglot Automated Program Repair for Infrastructure as Code”, focuses on developing techniques for automatically repairing programs written for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) environments.

    The Amazon Research Awards are among the most prestigious recognitions in the tech research ecosystem. Every year, the program receives a large number of proposals which are rigorously evaluated by Amazon’s internal teams of scientists. Past and present awardees include researchers from world-leading institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.

    The award provides not only financial support for Ferreira’s research but also access to over 700 public datasets hosted by Amazon, as well as AWS AI/ML services and tools through AWS Promotional Credits. Moreover, Ferreira will benefit from personalized support from an Amazon research contact, who will offer guidance and facilitate participation in Amazon-led events, workshops, and training sessions.

    “Automated Reasoning is an important area of research for Amazon, with potential applications across various features and applications to help improve security, reliability, and performance for our customers,” said Robert Jones, Senior Principal Scientist with Amazon’s Cloud Automated Reasoning Group.

     

    Images | © 2025 INESC-ID

  • Promoting health, reinventing care: INESC-ID hosts session to explore opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration

    Promoting health, reinventing care: INESC-ID hosts session to explore opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration

    “We need to seduce others into joining this project,” said neurologist and professor at Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Joaquim Ferreira, referring to the ambitious new clinical, academic, and research campus being developed in Torres Vedras. “I’m here to identify windows of opportunity for collaboration.”

    This was the spirit of the most recent session of Bring Your Challenge to Us, a series hosted by INESC-ID thematic line Life and Health Technology (LHT), with the aim of connecting external researchers in the life sciences and health domains with our own community of experts. The goal is to explore how INESC-ID’s knowledge in areas such as data analysis, algorithms, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and high-performance computing can be leveraged to tackle pressing health-related challenges.

    Joaquim Ferreira’s invitation was compelling: to be part of a paradigm shift in health and community care. With nearly 2% of Portugal’s population currently living with dementia—a figure projected to double by 2050—the urgency to act is clear. “We are failing to prepare for what lies ahead,” he warned. “We are not developing new drugs for these pathologies, nor are we improving the way we approach brain diseases. So, the real challenge is to optimise what we already know works. The brain is an intriguing organ.”

    Ferreira, known for his pioneering work in movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, is the driving force behind the so-called Hospital Maravilha (“Wonder Hospital”) in Torres Vedras—an innovative project that aims to reinvent how interdisciplinary healthcare is delivered. “Today, we treat patients more and more like football coaches treat athletes,” he said, stressing that the medical community needs to rewrite its approach to care.

    At the heart of this reinvention is the future Health Technology Research Center, a major research facility within the Torres Vedras campus of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. With a strong emphasis on community health and clinical research, this center will link technological innovation with clinical needs, offering a unique testbed for solutions in biomedical engineering, AI, computer science, and medical devices—domains where INESC-ID has extensive expertise.

    For INESC-ID researchers, this represents an exceptional opportunity. “The interdisciplinarity is not optional,” Ferreira noted. “Especially in healthcare.” The Hospital Maravilha project and its challenges offer fertile ground for joint initiatives, including participation in European-funded collaborative projects focused on addressing real-world clinical issues.

    From the perspective of INESC-ID’s LHT thematic line — which brings together over 50 PhD researchers across various scientific domains, under the leadership of researcher Ana Teresa Freitas  and the executive coordination of Ruxandra Barbulescu — the session with Ferreira was a perfect match. The thematic line aims to foster multidisciplinary research in life and health sciences, and its strategy strongly aligns with three of INESC-ID’s institutional pillars: Internationalization, Technology Transfer, and Societal Impact.

    In this context, the LHT has defined three priorities for the coming years: strengthen the sense of belonging within the community of researchers; explore opportunities for technology transfer from research to practice; promote interdisciplinary projects and external collaborations.

    As we can clearly see, Joaquim Ferreira’s vision, and his invitation to contribute to the Torres Vedras campus, is fully aligned with this third priority, offering an opportunity for INESC-ID researchers to work in a field that increasingly depends on the convergence of medicine, engineering, and computing.

    As the session concluded, the message was clear: the challenges are urgent, the opportunities are many, and the time to act is now.

    Images | © 2025 INESC-ID

  • INESC-ID rated “Excellent” — pass the dwarf basil!

    INESC-ID rated “Excellent” — pass the dwarf basil!

    The news came on the morning of April 15, through an email sent by our President of the Board of Directors, Inês Lynce: INESC-ID had been rated “Excellent” — the highest possible rating — in the latest national evaluation of Research and Development (R&D) Units by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), achieving the maximum score in all evaluation criteria.

    Even though it was not a debut — the previous evaluation (2017/18) had reached exactly the same result — it still called for a celebration. And so we did!

    And how do we celebrate in Portugal? With food, of course — and also with music (in this case, a band made up of Técnico students).

    On May 29, at the Jardim Norte of IST, we had it all: hot dogs and bolas de Berlim, guitars playing, and fresh drinks. The decoration was Santos Populares style, with dwarf basil plants over checked tablecloths, anticipating the Lisbon festivities that fill the capital throughout the month of June.

    According to the FCT evaluation panel, INESC-ID has “outstanding international-level research, excellence in scientific publications,” contributing to “both theoretical and applied domains.” The panel also highlighted our “strong role in international collaboration, industry partnerships, and public engagement, as well as [our] firm commitment to ethical research practices and gender equality.”

    It didn’t mention the quality of the events we organize — but that’s surely because the evaluators haven’t attended one yet.

    Images | © 2025 INESC-ID

  • “Will it fly if I light a match?” — INESC-ID at the Oeiras Science Festival

    “Will it fly if I light a match?” — INESC-ID at the Oeiras Science Festival

    “If I light a match, will it fly too?” Eliane is “seven and a half” years old and has a curious mind that shines through in her sharp questions and wide-eyed wonder. Her inquiry came after Diogo Diniz, a third-year undergraduate student in Computer Science and a volunteer at Técnico’s booth (where INESC-ID was also present), explained how rockets ascend thanks to the downward force of fire—demonstrating this with a video of a rocket launch.

    But this wasn’t just any rocket. It was the one that lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre, carrying onboard ISTSat, the first Portuguese university-built satellite, developed under NanoSat Lab (a consortium gathering IST, IT, INOV and other research institutes, with INESC-ID as the leader).

    Eliane wasn’t entirely convinced. With a slightly skeptical look, she added: “I’m going to build a machine that goes down, with matches pointing up.”

    Without knowing it, Eliane was perfectly embodying the motto of the Oeiras Science Festival: Discover, Question, Imagine. Organized by the Municipality of Oeiras and co-hosted by Taguspark, this science celebration ran from May 21 to 25 and brought together schools, researchers, and families to engage in hands-on science, interactive demos, and open-ended exploration.

    As expected, INESC-ID was present with contributions in both formats: exhibition stands with demos and multiple talks across the event’s five-day agenda. In parallel, on May 24, the festival also hosted the Técnico Oeiras Campus Open Day.

    While Diogo Diniz was making his outreach debut, Pedro Amado—currently a master’s student supervised by INESC-ID researcher, Gonçalo Tavares—was already a seasoned participant in public engagement. “I really enjoy talking with kids,” he shared. “There’s a lack of natural vocation in students, and coming to Técnico without a sense of purpose requires extra effort,” he reflected.

    Rockets, robots, and electric cars

    João Paulo Monteiro, from the ISTSat project team, is also no stranger to this kind of event, especially after the satellite’s successful launch in July 2024. Between answering questions, he received a real-time alert on the project’s satellite tracking platform: something had passed within 400 meters of ISTSat. “Probably Starlink,” he guessed. “It happens all the time.” And he was right.

    Explaining to a group of 7th graders from Agrupamento de Escolas Aquilino Ribeiro, in Porto Salvo, Oeiras, Pedro Amado described the new space landscape: “Today’s satellites are much smaller and can be launched by private companies.”

    At the same stand, the project EV4EU – Exploring Electric Mobility raised awareness about the ongoing energy transition. Visitors could test their knowledge through a quiz designed by INESC-ID researcher Marcelo Braço Forte, with the chance to win a miniature electric car. In total, 114 participants tried their luck.

    The Mushroom Game, developed by GAIPS, focused more on knowledge than chance. Alongside its AI companion, ELMO the Robot, the game tested how much visitors trusted artificial intelligence systems while teaching them how to identify safe and poisonous mushrooms. Students from 6th and 7th grade proved to be keen technophiles, answering nearly all of Miguel Belbote’s questions correctly. Belbote, a researcher at GAIPS, already an experienced outreach participant, enjoyed the enthusiastic responses.

    “Guess how much this robot dog weighs,” he asked, pointing to the GO2 Robot Dog. “Twelve kilos?” ventured one of the seven boys in the group. “Fifteen,” he replied. Not a bad guess.

    But in the end, this isn’t about getting all the answers right. What matters most is wanting to know.

    And in that respect, every single student—Eliane included—passed with flying colors.

    Oeiras Valley Science Festival was also an opportunity to celebrate the cooperation between   students, teachers, and researchers, who came together for two afternoons, on the 2nd Meeting of the Oeiras Science Clubs. Co-organised by Técnico Oeiras and ITQB NOVA with the support of the Engenharia para Todos project (INESC-ID and Oeiras Municipality), it was a moment of exchange that featured presentations, a science fair, a roundtable discussion, and a poster exhibition showcasing the “Mentorias” project, in which scientists work closely with students.

    What about us? Culture, language and sovereignty in the Age of AI

    The final day of the festival saw four INESC-ID researchers actively participating in three roundtable sessions focused on the promises and challenges of Artificial Intelligence.

    Early in the morning, Helena Moniz joined the session “Artificial Intelligence and Us”, where she and fellow speakers Paulo Novais (University of Minho), Pedro Bizarro (Feedzai), and Mário Figueiredo (IST) reflected on the growing role of AI in our lives and in shaping the decisions that will define our future. Helena emphasised the importance of being aware of the cultural and ideological biases often embedded in these models, highlighting the need to represent cultural diversity and the many ways of living and thinking found across societies.

    Shortly after, Isabel Trancoso and Luísa Coheur took part in the session “Artificial Intelligence in Written and Spoken Language: Applications in Health, Education and Industry”. Isabel explored the human voice as an identity marker in the digital age, while Luísa brought attention to the challenges AI presents in the educational context. The session was moderated by André Peralta (NOVA) and also featured Liliana Ferreira (Fraunhofer Portugal), who added a complementary perspective to the panel’s reflections.

    In the afternoon, Arlindo Oliveira took the stage for one of the festival’s final sessions — “Generative AI and European Sovereignty in AI”. Alongside André Martins (IST) and Paulo Dimas (Center for Responsible AI), Arlindo explored the rapid rise of large language models (LLMs), their technological impact, and the far-reaching challenges they pose — not only at the economic, political, and social levels, but also in terms of strategic autonomy. It was a conversation that brought the pressing theme of innovation and sovereignty to the table with critical insight and a sense of urgency – giving voice to the central message of the festival.

    Images | © 2025 INESC-ID

  • PRR Projects: From shopping to smartness. Project PT Smart Retail redesigned the future of retail

    PRR Projects: From shopping to smartness. Project PT Smart Retail redesigned the future of retail

    What if buying a snack, grabbing lunch, or doing the weekly groceries didn’t require queues, cashiers, or even a checkout line?

    This is not a scene from a sci-fi movie. It is already happening, in Portugal! The world’s largest intelligent retail store— a 1,200 square meter space operated by Continente—opened earlier this year in Leiria, showcasing the very technologies being developed through PT Smart Retail. This PRR-funded mobilizing project will transform the way we shop, consume, and interact with physical retail spaces.

    On this project, INESC-ID has a key role in dealing with the privacy and security of this future. Under the internal coordination of researcher Nuno Santos, from Distributed, Parallel and Secure Systems, the initiative brings together 19 partners, from startups to tech providers, universities, and major retailers like Continente and Galp.

    At the helm of the consortium is Sensei, a Portuguese tech company already pioneering autonomous retail experiences. But the goal of PT Smart Retail goes far beyond existing proof-of-concept stores. With an investment of over €31 million, the project aspires to deliver a new generation of intelligent, autonomous, and sustainable retail—from futuristic vending machines to fully operational cashierless stores, all powered by national technology.

    Launched in 2022 and running through the end of 2024, PT Smart Retail is part of Portugal’s broader Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), aiming to build national capacity in high-tech, high-impact sectors. In the retail domain, that means: Designing autonomous and hybrid store formats, developing “pods” that can be deployed in remote or high-traffic areas, introducing Zero Waste Cabinets that reinvent the vending machine experience and creating peripheral technologies to enhance user interaction and sustainability.

    Each innovation is based in seamless, contactless, and user-centric shopping experiences—think of walking into a shop, picking up your items, and walking out without scanning a single barcode. The rest is up to the system.

    “Our role in the project is very focused. We’re working on the privacy and security side—anticipating problems that might not be critical for the pilot store today but will be essential if this technology is to scale nationally or internationally.” – Nuno Santos

    But as this vision moves closer to reality, critical questions arise: How do we ensure customer privacy? Who has access to video data? How secure is the underlying AI? That’s where INESC-ID comes in.

    “Our role in the project is very focused,” explains Nuno Santos, Principal Investigator at INESC-ID and Professor at Técnico. “We’re working on the privacy and security side—anticipating problems that might not be critical for the pilot store today but will be essential if this technology is to scale nationally or internationally.”

    Indeed, the transition to intelligent retail systems introduces layers of complexity—technically, ethically, and legally. Every sensor, every camera, and every line of code collecting customer behavior must comply with GDPR, safeguard identity, and protect sensitive data from leaks or misuse.

    To solve these challenges, the INESC-ID team is developing solutions across five research vectors:

    1. Privacy-preserving Video Processing

    In smart stores, camera footage is essential for tracking customer movement and product selection. But how can we do this without violating privacy?

    INESC-ID’s answer is to transform video feeds into anonymized skeletal models, abstracting individuals into motion paths instead of identities. In some cases, the team goes further—applying visual obfuscation techniques that reduce people to blurred silhouettes, while still enabling operators to debug the system when needed.

    2. Trusted Video Stream Processing

    The software that powers smart retail—including the AI models for object recognition and movement tracking—runs on edge servers located inside stores. These are valuable intellectual property assets for companies like Sensei. But how can they ensure this code isn’t reverse-engineered or tampered with, especially in international deployments?

    INESC-ID is exploring hardware-based secure enclaves that encrypt and shield algorithms from unauthorized access, even when deployed in less trusted environments.

    3. Data Provenance and Auditability

    With thousands of data points flowing through these systems daily, it’s essential to prove that the algorithms act fairly and legally. INESC-ID is working on cryptographic methods to ensure traceability—demonstrating that a particular transaction was computed using valid data, from legitimate sensors, using trusted code.

    This will be crucial for compliance auditing, especially in the context of the AI Act in Europe.

    4. Network and Communication Security

    A smart retail system involves dozens of sensors communicating in real-time with local servers and cloud backends. This creates vulnerabilities: from spoofing attacks that fake product scans to malicious devices planted in stores.

    To address this, INESC-ID is developing secure communication protocols and monitoring tools that can detect anomalies in sensor behavior and network traffic.

    5. Web Application Security

    The final layer of the stack includes web-based dashboards, APIs, and customer-facing apps. These are often the most visible points of contact—and the most vulnerable to attacks.

    INESC-ID’s researchers are conducting code audits and developing automated tools to detect and patch vulnerabilities in retail web applications before they can be exploited.

    “The problems we’re solving in PT Smart Retail are not just relevant to retail,” says Nuno Santos. “They apply to surveillance in public spaces, stadiums, smart cities. The anonymization and secure processing of visual data is a broader societal challenge.”

    Ultimately, PT Smart Retail is not just about automating shopping. It’s about building trust in an era where technology is everywhere and often invisible. “When we used to shop at a neighborhood store, trust was physical, the shopkeeper knew us. Today, that trust has to be engineered into the system”, Nuno Santos notes.

    By combining cutting-edge AI with responsible data practices, PT Smart Retail aims to become a global reference for intelligent, privacy-first retail. And INESC-ID’s work is central to making that happen.

    —
    Text by Sara Sá, Science Writer | Communications and Outreach Office, INESC-ID
    © 2025 INESC-ID. Credit INESC-ID and the author, with a link to the original source, when sharing or adapting this article.

    Images | © 2025 PT Smart Retail

  • In the Media: INESC-ID researchers help explain the causes behind the April 28 blackout

    In the Media: INESC-ID researchers help explain the causes behind the April 28 blackout

    Not long ago, power outages were a familiar part of life. Some of us certainly remember those stormy nights in which the light went off. Today, electricity is so present in our daily life that even brief disruptions can feel dramatic. The blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula on the morning of April 28 was a strong reminder that modern society is built on a grid we rarely think about. Except when it goes dark.

    Although the exact causes are still under investigation, the failure appears to have started in Spain and rapidly cascaded across the interconnected grid, resulting in a rare total blackout. Like a circuit breaker protecting your home, the system shut itself down to prevent larger damage. According to INESC-ID researchers, Rui Castro and Pedro Carvalho —both experts in power systems and energy transition—this was not a collapse of a failed system, but rather a sign of its robustness. The grid responded, isolated the issue, and restored power in phases using “black start” capabilities. However, the event also revealed the challenges of an energy transition reliant on variable renewables and decentralized production.

    There is no such thing as zero-risk infrastructure. Making the electric grid 100% fail-proof would require massive and economically unjustifiable investments. Instead, we must accept some level of risk and focus on making our systems more resilient, more intelligent, and quicker to recover.

    These insights were shared by Rui Castro and Pedro Carvalho in recent media  interventions (newspaper and TV channels), where both researchers contributed to clarifying the technical nature of the blackout and the broader implications for the energy transition and grid resilience.

    Links below:

    SIC 

    CNN

    Jornal Económico 

    O Observador 

  • POEMS: Portugal having a word in semiconductor innovation

    POEMS: Portugal having a word in semiconductor innovation

    INESC-ID is one of the 16 members of POEMS – the Portuguese Competence Centre in Semiconductors, a national initiative set to position Portugal in the field of microelectronics and semiconductor innovation.

    Launched under the Chips for Europe Initiative and co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and the Chips Joint Undertaking – European Union, POEMS directly responds to the priorities of Axis 1 of the National Semiconductor Strategy. The project targets two main fronts: capacity building through advanced training (Work Package 3) and technological advancement in semiconductor solutions (Work Package 4), aligning with Europe’s ambition for a more resilient and competitive tech industry.

    The POEMS consortium brings together leading institutions across academia, research, and industry with expertise in chip design, advanced packaging, and emerging semiconductor technologies. Through collaborative work packages, POEMS will strengthen national infrastructure, allow access to innovation networks such as the European Network of Chips Competence Centres (ENCCC), and support the transition from R&D to market through business support and funding mechanisms. It also includes the development of a dedicated digital collaboration platform, which will house the Portuguese Semiconductor Observatory, training portals, and innovation support services.

    With its unique characteristics and wide-reaching scope — from promoting STEM careers among youth to providing critical tools for companies and researchers — POEMS is more than a technological project; it’s a strategic engine for national growth in a critical and essential area.

    From a total budget of nearly four million euros, INESC-ID will manage approximately 121,000 euros, under the coordination of researcher Jorge Fernandes, the institute’s Principal Investigator for POEMS.