INESC ID, INOV and INESC MN together in the 1st INESC LX annual meeting
On November 3rd, 2023, took place the first joint Meeting of INESC Lx, a consortium of the INESC institutions based in Lisbon: INESC-ID, INOV and INESC MN. Over 270 members of the three institutions met at Hotel Golf Mar, near Lisbon, for a full day of discussion and networking. The main goal of the meeting was to present the work being developed by the three R&D Institutes, all committed to advancing scientific research, technological development, and innovation, while building a networking environment to strengthen the collaborative work among the INESC Lx group.
Leonel Sousa, President of INESC Lx, opened the Welcome Session highlighting INESC Lx mission and R&D+i activities since it was launched in 2020, followed by a video message by José Tribolet, Founder, and ex-President of INESC (Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores), and Instituto Superior Técnico Emeritus Professor.
Teresa Almeida, the President of the Commission for Regional Development and Coordination of Lisbon and Tagus Valley (CCDR LVT), participated as an invited speaker and gave an overview of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region (RLVT) numbers and initiatives in the field of R&D. According to Teresa Almeida, the region has almost 40% of the country’s researchers and 43% of the R&E activities. In her opinion, INESC serves as an important player in this region, being involved in a high number of Agendas of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The meeting featured both joint and parallel sessions, offering an overall perspective of each Institute’s competences and main accomplishments.
After the Opening Session, INESC ID hosted its own parallel session providing an overview of the Institute’s activities by the Board of Directors. Inês Lynce, President at INESC ID, opened the session with an insightful look into the Institution’s history and main activities, followed by a presentation by Nuno Roma, Chief Financial Officer, on its financial performance. João Paulo Carvalho, Director of HR, spoke about the Institute’s human resources and presented the most recent collaborators, including researchers and support staff. Finally, Luís Rodrigues, President of the Scientific Council, introduced the main challenges expected for the next year, namely the upcoming FCT Evaluation of the R&D Units.
At the end of the session, INESC ID presented its two annual distinctions: Rui Castro was named the Best 2023 Researcher and Ricardo Rei the Best 2023 Ph.D. student.
In the afternoon, the second INESC ID session was fully dedicated to its Ph.D. students, being the first time, all doctoral students were invited to attend the annual event. The “Through the eyes of Ph.D. students” discussion panel, chaired by Susana Vinga, member of INESC ID Board of Directors, was an opportunity for students Ana Rita Baião, Catarina Botelho, David Calhas, Diogo Carvalho, Diogo Nunes and Renata C. Branco to share their experience at INESC ID, talk about the main challenges they face, and offer valuable inputs to the Institution’s Governance and community of researchers on what can be done to improve their experience.
At the end of the day, the room was again full for the Closing session that had the privilege to count on the presence of the Portuguese Minister of the Economy and Maritime Affairs, António Costa Silva. The minister highlighted the work being done by INESC Lx and the importance of its participation in several mobilizing agendas and European projects, challenging the group to keep its significant contribution to the R&D sector in Portugal.
The first INESC Lx meeting was surely a privileged platform to share ideas and foster new research opportunities, exploring the potential for future technological advancements and collaborations between all three Institutions.