Promoting circular economy in the construction sector: Técnico researchers participate in projects with a total allocation of more than 1M€
CERIS leads the C+D project and participates in the CirMat project. The CircularEcoBIM project also involves CERIS researchers, as well as IN+ and INESC-ID researchers.
Several Técnico researchers are involved in three projects aimed at promoting circular economy in the construction sector, selected by the Ministry of the Environment within the scope of the EEA Grants Environment programme. CERIS – Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability leads the C+D project and participates in the CirMat project. The CircularEcoBIM project involves a research team from the Center for Studies in Innovation, Technology and Development Policies (IN +), the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Research and Development (INESC-ID) and also from CERIS. The three projects will receive more than 1M€ in funding.
José Dinis Silvestre, professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geo-Resources (DECivil) and researcher at CERIS, leads the C+D project – “Close the loop by Disclosing the benefits of buildings’ deconstruction and materials re-use”, which received 49 thousand euros. The project includes a partnership with NORSUS (Norwegian Institute for Sustainability Research), and aims to create a web-based platform to calculate the economic and environmental benefits associated to the processes of deconstruction of buildings and of reuse of construction and demolition wastes. The Técnico team also involves the CERIS researchers Manuel Duarte Pinheiro, Vera Durão and Imtiaz Ahmed.
Professor José Dinis Silvestre also leads the CERIS ‘participation in the CirMat project – “CIRcular aggregates for sustainable road and building MATerials”. The CERIS team also includes the researchers Jorge de Brito, Vera Durão and Bruno Nunes. The CirMat project aims to develop the industrial sector and to promote multiple products / materials with a high degree of incorporation of waste from the construction and steel industry sectors. The project is coordinated by the construction company dst s.a, and includes a partnership with University of Minho and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The CirMat project received 499 thousand euros.
The Circular EcoBIM project aims to create a BIM standard type Product Data template, i.e., a data structure for BIM objects, and a set of applications that allow the calculation of building and component circularity passports, integration and development of product EPD and the calculation of LEVEL(S) system indicators for buildings from building models, thus contributing to the implementation of circularity practices in construction. The project is coordinated by 3drivers, and involves the participation of Instituto Superior Técnico, CentralBIM, Atelier dos Remédios, PotentialSketch, VIC Properties group, and NTNU. António Aguiar Costa, professor at DECivil and researcher at CERIS, leads the Técnico’s participation in this project. The Técnico professors Amílcar Arantes, José Dinis Silvestre and Teresa Ferreira (CERIS), Paulo Ferrão (IN +) and Paulo Carreira ( INESC-ID) are also part of the team.
Through the EEA Grants, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway established the objective of reducing social and economic disparities in Europe by strengthening bilateral relations with the Beneficiary States. Portugal will benefit from an amount of 102,7M€. This amount will support five programmes: Blue Growth; Environment; Conciliation and Gender Equality; Culture; Active Citizens. In addition to these five programmes, it also exists the Fund for Bilateral Relations. This fund supports initiatives aimed at strengthening the relations between Portugal and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Source: Técnico
Upcoming Events
OLISSIPO Workshop: “How to design a graphical abstract” with Dr. Rita Félix (CNC-UC)
On April 19, the OLISSIPO project will host an 8-hour workshop titled “How to design a graphical abstract” with Dr. Rita Félix, a science communicator, illustrator and designer from CNC Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (Coimbra, Portugal). Registration is free and seating is limited.
Registration Deadline: April 5 | Register here (free but mandatory)
Date & Time: April 19, 09h00-18h00 ( 8-hours)
Where: INESC-ID, R. Alves Redol 9, 1000-029 Lisboa | Room 9 (Auditorium), Ground Floor
Summary: “How to design a graphical abstract” Workshop aims to explain what a graphical abstract is, and give you design tools and tips on how to create a better, clear and engaging graphical abstract. This workshop is tailored to give you tools and improve your graphical abstract, without having to learn how to use a new software program (like Adobe Illustrator). Bring your graphical abstract, share it with the class, work on it and take home a new version.
Short Bio: Rita Félix is a science communicator, illustrator and designer, with life sciences research experience. Currently working as the Institutional Communication Manager and Designer at CNC-UC. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience in 2020, in the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme. After that, she enrolled in a Digital Illustration Specialization Course to further develop her visualization and design skills. Worked as a Scientific Graphic Designer at Science Crunchers, a science communication company, where she developed multiple graphical abstracts, article figures, infographics, diagrams, illustrations, visual identity, logos and webdesign for companies, scientific institutions and Horizon 2020 consortia. More information at https://ritallfelix.wixsite.com/portfolio .
INESC-ID talk: “Rise of the AI-Empowered End User Software Engineer” by Ed Ayers and Andy Gordon (Cogna)
On April 19, INESC-ID will host a talk by Ed Ayers and Andy Gordon from the startup Cogna. The talk is titled “Rise of the AI-Empowered End User Software Engineer” and is organised by INESC-ID researcher Nuno Lopes.
Date & Time: April 19, 15h00 -16h00
Where: INESC-ID, Rua Alves Redol, 9, 1000-029 Lisboa | Room 9 (Auditorium), Ground Floor
Summary:
“What if natural language really is the new programming language? Inspired by the transformation of professional software engineering by generative AI, let’s take the next step: empowering end users. We can boost their productivity with hyper-customized software generated from natural language. This challenge needs research right across software engineering: requirements, architecture, coding, testing, verification, repair, and maintenance. We will survey current progress and open research questions in this exciting new area of programming language research.”
(Photo: Cogna website)
Técnico Open Day 2024
Técnico Open Day 2024
On April 20, Instituto Superior Técnico will host the Técnico Open Day 2024, at the Alameda Campus. The event will consist of a science fair, guided visits, and interaction with members of the IST community.
Date & Time: April 20, 10h00-17h00
Where: Instituto Superior Técnico – Alameda Campus (Free Entry)
Summary: The 2024 edition of the Técnico Open Day will count with over 60 activities within the science fair, guided visits to the campus, including teaching and research laboratories, and contact with professors, researchers and students from IST. The event will be an opportunity to hold an interactive exhibition, displaying more than 40 research and innovation projects, and allowing all attendees to become more familiar with the School and its initiatives.
EV4EU will be part of the Open Day “Science Fair”, representing the project at the INESC-ID info stand from 10am to 5pm. Project researchers Cindy P. Guzman and Larissa Montefusco will be at the Info booth to share with visitors an overview of the project, its main goals and latest developments. Under the title “Electric Vehicles Management for Carbon Neutrality: Discover how Electrical Vehicles can contribute to the fight against climate change”, the EV4EU team will focus on explaining how can EV4EU plan solutions, and support the massification of electrical vehicles while contributing to the decrease of carbon emissions and global warming.
Full agenda of the event here
Know more about the project here
Educational Workshop on Responsible AI for Peace and Security (UNODA)
On June 6 and 7, The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) are offering a selected group of technical students the opportunity to join a 2-day educational workshop on Responsible AI for peace and security.
The third workshop in the series will be held in Porto Salvo, Portugal, in collaboration with GAIPS, INESC-ID, and Instituto Superior Técnico. The workshop is open to students affiliated with universities in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
Date & Time: June 6 a 7
Where: IST – Tagus Park, Porto Salvo
Registration deadline: April 8
Summary: “As with the impacts of Artificial intelligence (AI) on people’s day-to-day lives, the impacts for international peace and security include wide-ranging and significant opportunities and challenges. AI can help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but its dual-use nature means that peaceful applications can also be misused for harmful purposes such as political disinformation, cyberattacks, terrorism, or military operations. Meanwhile, those researching and developing AI in the civilian sector remain too often unaware of the risks that the misuse of civilian AI technology may pose to international peace and security and unsure about the role they can play in addressing them. Against this background, UNODA and SIPRI launched, in 2023, a three-year educational initiative on Promoting Responsible Innovation in AI for Peace and Security. The initiative, which is supported by the Council of the European Union, aims to support greater engagement of the civilian AI community in mitigating the unintended consequences of civilian AI research and innovation for peace and security. As part of that initiative, SIPRI and UNODA are organising a series of capacity building workshops for STEM students (at PhD and Master levels). These workshops aim to provide the opportunity for up-and-coming AI practitioners to work together and with experts to learn about a) how peaceful AI research and innovation may generate risks for international peace and security; b) how they could help prevent or mitigate those risks through responsible research and innovation; c) how they could support the promotion of responsible AI for peace and security.”