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  • Paulo Carreira, INESC-ID Researcher, named Fellow of Information Privacy from the International Association of Privacy Professionals

    Paulo Carreira, INESC-ID Researcher, named Fellow of Information Privacy from the International Association of Privacy Professionals

    Paulo Carreira, researcher at INESC-ID and Associate Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), was named a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) from the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

    The title acknowledges senior professionals who possess expertise in applying privacy laws, practices, and technologies to practical situations. To be eligible, candidates must exhibit continuous dedication and leadership regarding privacy and data protection, while also holding a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) certification, along with either a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) or a Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT) certification.

    Paulo Carreira co-founded Sensei in 2017, and is a pioneer in the application of privacy-enhancing technologies in the smart retail industry. He has over ten years of teaching experience in information systems at IST and a longstanding participation in Instituto Superior Técnico’s course, focusing on privacy and security.

  • In the Media: Rui Castro writes on the urgency of electrification for Portugal’s Energy Plan on Jornal i

    In the Media: Rui Castro writes on the urgency of electrification for Portugal’s Energy Plan on Jornal i

    Rui Castro, INESC-ID Researcher under the Sustainable Power Systems Scientific Area, and Full Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, authored an opinion article, published in the newspaper “Jornal i”, titled “Electrification of consumption: an urgent need” (Eletrificação dos consumos: uma necessidade urgente).

    In this article, Rui Castro raises concerns about future national electric energy consumption, noting that if the National Energy and Climate Plan is successful, the installed capacity in the National Electricity System (SEN) will double by 2030, greatly surpassing current demand.

    “We may have a problem of lack of consumption as early as 2030 if measures are not taken to promote the electrification of consumption, particularly in transport.”, states Rui Castro.

    According to the researcher, while these ambitious plans are a step in the right direction, they create a need for consumption of the produced energy. As Spain is also heavily investing in the installation of Renewable Energy Resources, exportation to Portugal’s neighbour country is hardly a viable option. Therefore, besides the natural intake from economy, families and industry, it is crucial to consider non-conventional intakes such as pumped hydroelectric power plants, and other innovative solutions.

    Additionally, Rui Castro  highlights two case studies to illustrate the issue, including a study carried out by a team at Instituto Superior Técnico, aiming to assess the needs for flexible power in 2030. Both cases show a probability for lack of consumption as early as 2030 if measures are not taken to promote the electrification of consumption. 

    Full article here (PT)

    (image source: Generative AI)

  • Key Insights from the “Leadership in Research and Innovation in the Age of AI” event

    Key Insights from the “Leadership in Research and Innovation in the Age of AI” event

    “AI-driven science extends beyond academia, fostering both innovation and economic growth,” declared the Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation, Signe Ratso, while participating in the event “Leadership in Research and Innovation in the Age of AI”, an initiative of INESC Brussels HUB, co-organized with the European Commission and the NCBR Office in Brussels.

    Over 60 leading R&D administrators, managers, researchers, and policymakers gathered in Brussels, on June 5 and 6, to discuss this crucial topic in a workshop format, sharing insights and developing strategies to face the challenges posed by AI. INESC-ID President, Inês Lynce, who was one of the six INESC-ID community members participating in the event, emphasized the “diversity of the attendees” and the “strong expertise in public policies some of them possess.”

    The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the EU strategy on AI since 2018 and initiatives like GENAI4EU and AI Factories and the “Living guidelines on the responsible use of generative AI in research”, as presented by Liviy Stirbat, Head of Unit for AI in Science in the DG for Research and Innovation at the European Commission. From the companies’ side, Ondrej Socuvka, Senior EU Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager at Google EU, shared how Google scientists are pushing AI’s boundaries responsibly.

    “Listening to different perspectives concerning the use of AI in research institutions, in order to help us work better and improve the way they function, is what I cherish the most from the two days with the Brussels Hub,” said Rui Prada, INESC-ID researcher within the Artificial Intelligence for People and Society research area. “These events give us the opportunity to reflect on subjects that we often do not have time to consider in our daily lives.”

    Inês Lynce also stressed the relevance of these immersive experiences: “It forces you to leave your comfort zone and think about the future of the institution and how we can make a difference.”

    Images | © 2024 INESC Brussels HUB

  • NOVA SBE & Meta Executive Meeting Event highlights AI’s Role in Open Innovation

    NOVA SBE & Meta Executive Meeting Event highlights AI’s Role in Open Innovation

    On June 17,  INESC-ID president, Inês Lynce, participated in an exclusive executive meeting event organised by NOVA SBE and co-organised with Meta, focused on “How can Artificial Intelligence foster Open Innovation.” This opportunity allowed industry leaders to engage and explore the transformative power of AI in driving open innovation.

    Discussions highlighted AI’s role as a catalyst for collaborative innovation, its ability to enhance R&D by analysing vast data sources, and the ethical considerations essential for responsible AI use, such as data privacy and fairness. Additionally, the event explored the future landscape of AI and open innovation, examining emerging technologies and their potential challenges and opportunities for business and society.

    (Image credits: Nova SBE Open & User Innovation Knowledge Center)

  • Exploring programming languages at Philip Wadler’s Distinguished Lecture. From Ancient Greece to modern cryptography

    Exploring programming languages at Philip Wadler’s Distinguished Lecture. From Ancient Greece to modern cryptography

    Wearing a khaki suit and a Panama hat, Philip Wadler meets his audience for the Distinguished Lecture (Programming Languages) in Agda = Programming (Languages in Agda), organized within the scope of the BIG ERA Chair Project. This time, we got the explorer’s look. For other attendees, the professor of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society has chosen the Superman costume.

    Regardless of the cover, the expertise – spiced up with a touch of humour – is always assured. Wadler, a key developer of several programming languages, like Haskell and Java, is a notable figure in the field. “One of the most important personalities in the area”, Luís Caires, INESC-ID Information and Decision Support Systems and ERA Chair Holder, states while introducing the talk, which happened on June 4, at Instituto Superior Técnico (Alameda).

    Wadler’s connection to Portugal comes through both the brain and the heart. “It’s a very strong place in programming languages!”, he notes. The emotional bond comes from his wife, a Brazilian native and a big fan of the country.

    Author of several books on programming languages, the researcher and teacher has specialized in linear programming languages, “which is a tiny subfield of a subfield.” While talking about the subject, he often goes back to Ancient Greece and to the origins of the studies on logic, relating it to concepts like propositions as types and foundational logic ideas. “We’re working on programming languages that we’re designing now, but the designs are based on ideas and logic that go back to the turn of the 1900s or sometimes go back to Ancient Greece two thousand years ago.” Lewis Carroll, under his real name Charles Dodgson, also did some work on logic, Wadler exemplifies. “It is said that after Alice in Wonderland came out, the Queen of England said she wanted to see that author next book and it was on symbolic logic.”

    Explaining the title of his talk, he explains Agda is one of a family of “what are called proof assistants”, that also go back in time, to the cryptography genius, Alan Turing. “Everybody is aware of this notion that programmes have bugs, right? You see this all the time: You’re using the web and all of a sudden, the website dies and puts up a little message saying ‘Please contact service or something’. So wouldn’t it be nice if you could demonstrate that would never happen?”, he questions. The sort of systems used by Amazon, for example, and that come in very handy in the cryptocurrency world and that is where his cooperation, as a consultant, with the platform Cardano comes from.

    Writing proofs is not as simple as writing code. It requires highly trained individuals, who are not in abundance. “Artificial intelligence and machine learning classes and so on have around 400 students. My class has forty”, he compares.

    Another sector that might benefit considerably from the use of proof assistants is Large Language Models. “What does a large language model do? It’s a neural network trained on a very large body of texts. What it does is given a group of words, what word should come next to sound good? So it’s just trained to sound good, to impress and therefore they have the tendency to confabulate”, Wadler notes. The integration of proof assistants on the programming of these models gives us the possibility to avoid these mistakes. But always with “people involved”, he stresses. “To check the specifications and come up with new ways of doing proofs and teach them to the machines.” Bulletproof logic.

    Text by Sara Sá, Science Writer | Communications and Outreach Office, INESC-ID

    Images | © 2024 INESC-ID

  • Renata Castelo Branco at the final of the 3MThesis competition with her work on algorithms to draw buildings

    Renata Castelo Branco at the final of the 3MThesis competition with her work on algorithms to draw buildings

    How can one use algorithms to draw buildings? That is the question that Renata Castelo Branco, a junior researcher at INESC-ID, from the scientific area Graphics and Interaction, and a PhD student in Computer Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, answered to, in three minutes and with a single slide. “An algorithm is a set of instructions for the computer to execute the house model”, she explained, during her presentation in the final of the competition 3-Minute Thesis (3MT).

    Renata was speaking at the event, that took place on June 6, at the magnificent amphitheatre of the National Museum of Natural History and Science, Universidade de Lisboa (UL), with the twelve finalists coming from different faculties of UL and covering topics that go from literature, to politics and veterinary medicine.

    The 3MT academic competition at Universidade de Lisboa is designed to develop unique skills in doctoral students, such as communicating complex ideas simply and creatively to diverse audiences, following the rule of spending just three minutes and using a single slide. The competition is inspired by a format developed and patented by the University of Queensland, Australia (3MT®). And under the principle that “knowledge is too important to be closed, it must reach society”, said the vice-rector of UL, Cecília Rodrigues.

    Renata’s presentation was vivid, clear and with perfect timing. Prior to announcing the first prize winner, the UL rector Luís Anjos Ferreira remembered that in old days the students were not allowed in the centre stage of the amphitheatre. “Today we have the students on this side, teaching the professors”, he stressed.

    Nuno Jordão, from Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, got the first prize, with a surprising presentation about genetic manipulation of virus to fight African swine fever, Nuno Gonçalves, from Faculdade de Ciências, with a talk about rainbows in other planets reached the second place and Marco Ribeiro on third, presenting a study about political conscience in medieval artisans.

    A video of all the presentations can be seen here.

    Images | © 2024 INESC-ID

  • 10, 9, 8…Ariane 6 is set for liftoff and we’re onboard

    10, 9, 8…Ariane 6 is set for liftoff and we’re onboard

    We are on the verge of a new dawn for European space exploration and for Portuguese academia. On its maiden flight, Ariane 6, the new European heavy lift launch vehicle, is carrying our ISTSat-1, the first university CubeSat satellite entirely conceived in Portugal. Handwritten on the coating of the rocket’s head, the so called fairing, are three names: João Paulo Monteiro, Manuel Santos and Tiago Santos – the junior researchers who travelled to the European Spaceport in French Guiana and signed the fairing before it was integrated on the rocket. “It was the most striking moment of our expedition”, confesses Manuel, part of the team of researchers and teachers at Técnico, members of the NanosatLab, a consortium led by INESC-ID.

    Besides this emotional moment, the team also had some technical work to do, like checking the nanosatellite battery status (spoiler alert: it was perfect!)

    The much-antecipated launch date – July 9 – was announced by ESA Director General, Josef Aschbacher, at the Berlin Air Show, one of the most prestigious events in the aerospace sector, happening this week.

    There was a lot to overcome to reach this phase. The idea of building a university satellite came to light back in 2010, with technical and legislation questions to surmount and a pandemic that contributed to the delay in the construction of the Ariane 6, initially meant to be ready by 2020.

    Modular and agile, as reinforced by Aschbacher, Ariane 6 has a reignitable upper stage, allowing it to launch multiple missions into different orbits on a single flight. “This inaugural flight is considered an experimental one; it is a test flight, not a commercial one”, stresses the coordinator of the ISTSat-1 project, Rui Rocha. Fingers crossed!


    Text by Sara Sá, Science Writer | Communications and Outreach Office, INESC-ID

    Image caption: The NanoSat Lab team and Ariane 6. Image credits: Técnico, NanoSat Lab and ArianeGroup

  • INESC-ID Board members and researchers participate in Summer School on leadership in the age of AI

    INESC-ID Board members and researchers participate in Summer School on leadership in the age of AI

    Artificial Intelligence is forcing us to rethink and reshape everything, from leadership to research and innovation. It presents both a challenge and an opportunity. In this defiant and exciting context, INESC Brussels HUB is inviting 25 top R&I administrators, managers, researchers, and policymakers from across Europe to a highly dynamic “lunch to lunch” participatory workshop, taking place on June 5 and 6.

    With an emphasis on active engagement, this summer school ensures valuable and actionable outcomes for all attendees.

    The methodology includes presentations, collaborative discussions and workshops enabling participants to benchmark their practices against leading AI standards; gain insights and innovative strategies for their institutions; network with top experts from academia, industry and policy-making.

    INESC-ID President, Inês Lynce, along with other Board members and researchers from our institution will attend the Brussels meeting, joined by representatives from all other four INESC Group institutions. The list of participants includes AICEP Portugal Global, the European Research Council and various European research institutions.

  • Tackling EU’s AI Act regulation challenges: PLMJ and INESC-ID sign collaboration protocol

    Tackling EU’s AI Act regulation challenges: PLMJ and INESC-ID sign collaboration protocol

    On May 14, the law firm PLMJ and INESC-ID established a protocol to collaborate, each bringing their unique expertise, in developing and implementing specific programs to ensure that AI systems comply with the standards of the new European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Regulation, the world’s first comprehensive AI law.

    This partnership aims to develop new methodologies combining law and technology to check AI systems at every stage, from design to deployment, to make sure they’re safe and fair. The two partners will also promote training and knowledge sharing to enhance understanding of AI’s technical and legal aspects.

    Pedro Lomba, the coordinating partner of the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector at PLMJ, emphasised that “the compliance assessment with the AI Regulation—a pioneering law—will be unlike anything we have done so far in Technology Law”, and stressed the necessity for multidisciplinary knowledge about “a rapidly evolving family of technologies, some of which are new,” and the significance of partnering with “a robust technological partner like INESC-ID, which has performed unparalleled work in these areas.”

    Inês Lynce, President of INESC-ID, highlighted the institute’s extensive AI research and its contribution to providing a balanced view on AI’s potential and risks, and pointed out the critical need for “strong collaboration between entities skilled in legal and technological domains, a collaboration made possible through this partnership.”

    Read the full  PLMJ’s press release here.

    (image source: Generative AI)

  • Advancing Monitoring of Pandemics and Contagious Diseases: M.U.S.T and GMU visit INESC-ID

    Advancing Monitoring of Pandemics and Contagious Diseases: M.U.S.T and GMU visit INESC-ID

    A delegation of experts from the Macau University of Science and Technology (M.U.S.T) and Guangzhou Medical University (GMU) visited INESC-ID on May 17. The delegation was interested in learning about INESC-ID, as part of a collaboration between the three entities for the advancement of health monitoring.

    INESC-ID welcomed the delegation in the morning, presenting both INESC and INESC-ID to the participants while also taking the opportunity to showcase ongoing projects within the scope. 

    “The goal of this interaction is to develop and provide methods and algorithms that can be used for monitoring and predicting the evolution of pandemics, and other contagious diseases”, revealed Arlindo Oliveira, INESC President and INESC-ID researcher, who presented the INESC group. 

    Inês Lynce, president of INESC-ID, who was also present, and gave an overview of the institution, referred to the  “cooperation, and data sharing amongst the institutes benefits all parties involved, representing a key element driving them towards achieving the common goal.”  

    The effort in this area has been supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Guangzhou National Laboratory and the project is led by professors Arlindo Oliveira, Ana Teresa Freitas and Hon Chi Tin.

    Images | © 2024 INESC-ID