Dear CeDRI members We are pleased to announce the official opening of nominations for the CeDRI EDI+ IMPACT Research Award 2026. This annual award aims to recognise and celebrate a scientific publication, published in the last 12 months, that stands out for its explicit integration of principles of Equity, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion (EEDI), Ethical Responsibility and Civic Engagement. The initiative is in line with CeDRI's strategic vision, which values a research culture that is more inclusive, ethical and has an impact on society. Eligibility criteria: The publication must have been officially published in the 12 months prior to the application deadline; It must explicitly incorporate EEDI values, ethical responsibility or civic engagement in the content, methodology or application; The applicant must be affiliated with CeDRI at the time of publication. Submission is individual, even if the publication is the result of collective work. Applications must be submitted by 24 May 2026 via the link https://forms.gle/J41yXu2tpKNuG6rk8 The full regulations can be found at: cloud.ipb.pt/f/4b6d8478f85c4358aedc/ The evaluation of applications will be conducted by a multidisciplinary panel composed of researchers: Juan Pavón (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) Cinzia Leone (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy) André Brasil (Research Fellow Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany) The winner will be announced at the annual SASYR meeting (19 June), where they will receive a certificate and a monetary prize. The winning work will be publicised on CeDRI's communication channels, and the authors will be invited to present it at a seminar. We are counting on your active participation to give visibility to research that promotes fairer, more ethical science with a transformative social impact. More information: cedri-edi@ipb.pt.

Robot at Factory 4.0 at the 26th Robocup Portugal Open! The Bare Metal team, sponsored by CeDRI, took first place in the Robot at Factory 4.0 competition at the 26th Robocup Portugal Open. This year, five teams took part in this competition, in which various autonomous robots transport materials from one location to another on a factory floor. To this end, navigation and cooperation algorithms, as well as the development of the robots, were crucial to winning this award. Researchers João Braun, Vinicius Grilo and José Lima from CeDRI were involved in this competition.

On 22 April 2026, José Barbosa and Flávia Pires, researchers at CeDRI, attended the kick-off meeting of the ACTIVA RURAL TRANSFRONTERIZO Project, an EU-funded cross-border cooperation initiative under the POCTEP 2021–2027 programme. The project brings together 15 partners from Portugal and Spain with the aim of developing innovative socio-health care systems and promoting active ageing in rural cross-border areas. Its key activities include the creation of a Bauhaus Care Laboratory, the design of assistive technologies and accessible digital solutions, and the piloting of "Aldeas Smarthaus", rural communities that will serve as living labs for integrated care solutions. IPB plays a central role as coordinator of Activity 2, focused on the development of technology-based care models adapted to the needs of elderly people in rural settings. The project runs until December 2028.

If you missed the latest edition of Talk For Us, which took place on 18 March 2026 on the topic ‘Computer Vision in Agriculture: Deep Learning Methods for Real-World Scenarios’, presented by João Mendes, click on the link below to watch the full presentation. https://educast.fccn.pt/vod/clips/hp6pnq1o5/streaming.html?locale=pt

On 17 March, CeDRI welcomed a visit from around 50 students from the vocational courses at the João de Araújo Correia School Group (ESJAC) in Régua. The event was coordinated and supervised by researchers João Mendes and Beatriz Flamia. The practical demonstrations of the work were led by PhD researchers Maurício, Vinicius, Laiany, Mariano, João Coelho, Lucas Pinow, Guido and Victoria, who shared their knowledge and experiences with the students. The initiative provided an opportunity for learning and the exchange of ideas, bringing the students closer to the world of scientific research.

CeDRI wishes you a Happy Women’s Day! May this day celebrate the strength, inspiration, and achievements of women everywhere.

Today we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science. At CeDRI, we recognise the vital importance of female representation in building a future driven by technology and academic excellence. Here's to all our researchers who transform science into progress every day!

A new project began... Digital Horizon Project With Inês Sena and a large team at the Centre for Research in Digitalisation and Intelligent Robotics, named Maria F Pacheco, José Magalhães Lima, Clara Vaz, Beatriz Flamia, Beatriz Mafra, João João Afonso Braun Neto, João Mendes, Adriano Silva, Rebeca Baron Kalbermatter, and Olena Dolid for project support. The Digital Horizon project aims to provide secondary school communities with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to effectively integrate digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning. More information about the European Digital Horizon project is available at: https://digitalhorizon.pixel-online.org/index.php

The BIWIT – Business Intelligence With Innovation and Technology project began with the first launch meeting, which brought together the entities that make up the consortium, including the Centre for Research in Digitalisation and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI). This project aims to create an advanced solution that combines artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, enabling it to support entrepreneurs and companies in structuring, validating and developing their projects, based on concrete data and personalised recommendations. BIWIT reflects a clear commitment to collaboration between scientific knowledge and business experience, geared towards creating value, innovation and sustainable economic impact.

On Friday, January 16th, 2026, researcher João Braun recorded an interview at the Rádio Observador studio in Alvalade for the Mentes Brilhantes program, part of the Aula Prática series, with researcher Henrique Veiga-Fernandes. Opportunities, challenges, and difficulties in scientific research were discussed, where João Braun shared the current projects he is working on, including Fructhor AI. The interview will be available as a podcast and broadcast on Rádio Observador in February.