Dear CeDRI members We are pleased to announce the official opening of nominations for the CeDRI EDI+ IMPACT Research Award. 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 31 May 2025 via the link tinyurl.com/cedriedi 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: Sofia Bergano (Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal) Juan Pavón (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) Zahia Guessoum (University of Reims-Champagne, France) The winner will be announced at the annual SASYR meeting (2 July), where they will receive a certificate and a cash 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.

On April 16, during the Algerian Day for Science and Technology, Arezki gave a conference presentation introducing the SmartHealth project, one of CeDRI's projects, and its contributions to healthcare technology.

The CeDRI researcher Beatriz Flamia Azevedo winner of the IMFAHE Global Portugal Fellowship 2024 is at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in USA as visiting researcher during three months. Beatriz is research in Mathematic and Intelligent System, and integrates the project Collaborative Artificial Intelligence for Learning which aims to develop innovative strategies in collaborative education and artificial intelligence to promote creativity, critical thinking, inclusive learning experiences in digital educational systems.

CeDRI Research Center has been evaluated by FCT with an EXCELLENT rating for the period 2025–2029 — a true recognition of the hard work, dedication, and innovation of our entire team!

On April 14, researchers Dr. João Afonso Braun Neto and Arezki Abderrahim Chellal presented a robotics workshop for Automation and Electrical Engineering students at ENPO Oran.

On April 3, 2025, CeDRI researcher João Braun was distinguished by the "Sociedade Portuguesa de Robótica" (Portuguese Robotics Society) with the best PhD Thesis award in Robotics in 2024.

CeDRI presents EDI+ Work Plan at the 1st Meeting of the Portuguese Critical Thinking Network. CeDRI was present at the 1st Meeting of the Portuguese Critical Thinking Network, held on April 3 and 4, 2025, at ISLA Santarém - Polytechnic Institute. The event, promoted by CRITHINKNET - Portuguese Critical Thinking Network, brought together policymakers, academics, researchers and professionals from different fields with the aim of fostering debate and sharing knowledge about the role of critical thinking in higher education. The initiative marks the start of a cycle of biennial conferences dedicated to promoting critical thinking as an essential tool for training, innovation and social transformation. During the meeting, the CeDRI EDI+ Work Plan was presented, which integrates the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI), Ethical Responsibility and Civic Engagement into the Centre's scientific research practices and organizational culture. The proposal includes internal diagnostic actions, ongoing training, recognition of good practices and dissemination of knowledge, with the aim of consolidating a more inclusive, ethical and socially committed scientific culture. CeDRI's participation in this meeting reflects its strategic commitment to science that is open, responsible and attentive to contemporary challenges. The institutional integration in CrithinkNet reinforces the collaboration with national research networks dedicated to promoting fairer, more conscious and participatory academic environments.

We are happy to share the doctoral defense of CeDRI researcher João Mendes, which took place on 26/03/2025, on the topic “Algorithms based on deep learning in the context of agriculture 4.0”.

CeDRI would like to congratulate the researcher Inês Sena, who on 26/03/2025 defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Intelligent system for safety and well-being at work in the retail sector”.

Last week the BIP (blended intensive program) in "Machine Learning for data Science" has concluded in Bremen. The course focuses on the study of Artificial Intelligence methods, specifically Machine Learning, for use in Data Science. The BIP has been assigned 6 credits that correspond to 60 contact hours. This teaching is mainly online. It takes place throughout the semester and ends with a face-to-face week at one of the participating institutions, in this case at the Hochschule Bremen City University of Applied Sciences (Germany). These short, intensive programs encourage innovative methods of learning and teaching, including research-based approaches and challenge-solving. In this edition, the project proposed to the students used a database of vehicle dealerships. The objective was to predict, from more than 100 characteristics of each vehicle, the time it will remain in the dealership until it is sold. To solve the problem, students had to use artificial intelligence methods and process more than 10 million pieces of data. In addition to the University of La Laguna and the HSB Bremen, the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal) and the University of Applied Sciences of Hanze (Netherlands) are participating in this course. The total number of students was 40, seven of them from the IPB. The coordinators of the BIP at the IPB, Rui Pedro Lopes, have participated as teachers both in the online phase and in this face-to-face week.