INESC-ID recently had two exploratory research projects (ERPs) approved in the Call for Exploratory Projects in All Scientific Domains 2023 by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).

In the field of “Computer and Information Sciences and Informatics”, the selected project was FLORA, coordinated by Vasco Manquinho. The project will develop new techniques, focused on Answer Set Programming (ASP), to debug logic programs, which is usually a challenging process since the programmer does not control the flow of execution nor is able to check the intermediate state of the program or localise a fault. FLORA will not only provide new techniques to mitigate these challenges, but also new annotated datasets of ASP programs and new tools to support the generation of new ones. All these will be available in a GitLab-based open-source framework in order to provide personalised feedback to novice ASP programmers.

In the area of “Electrical and Electronic Engineering”, project OSiRIS coordinated by Rui Duarte, was the winning candidate. OSiRIS aims to explore AI algorithms to improve the generation of images by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), while also replacing current computational units with smaller and faster ones. This will provide a new generation of on-board SAR processors to be further developed and industrialised, enhancing monitoring systems, on aircrafts and spacecrafts, and contributing to more accurate information on pollution, harvesting of natural resources and reaction to natural catastrophes.
The projects will each receive around 50K € of funding.

The goal of this call is to support exploratory research projects in all scientific domains, by promoting and strengthening the skills of scientific and technological institutions through the participation of their teams in projects of particular relevance. Proposals must be for individual projects, submitted by a single beneficiary, with a maximum duration of 18 months. Each project has a maximum funding of 50K, through the FCT budget.

The 2024 call opened on December 19, and will close on February 25, 2025.

More information here