Applications to the 14th edition of the Idea Contest Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge are now open!

Think Technology. Design the Future. is the challenge of the contest that rewards the best technology-based ideas, aligned with the scientific areas developed at Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS (FhP-AICOS): Human-Centred Design, Artificial Intelligence and Cyber-Physical Systems.

The ideas contest has two categories:

- Master Thesis Award

Ideas based on academic theses submitted for defense in the 2021/2022 or 2022/2023 academic years.

The three best ideas will be awarded (1st place: 3.000€; 2nd place: 2.000€; 3rd place: 1.000€).

- Student Award

Awards the student with the most promising technological idea.

This category was created in 2023 to recognize students with the most innovative technology-based ideas, but above all to encourage and support them in developing and putting them into practice. In addition to the monetary prize of 3 000€, the winning student of this category will be accompanied by researchers of FhP-AICOS in a mentoring process.

Applications are open and can be submitted at www.challenge.fraunhofer.pt, until July 31st.

On the official website, you may find the Terms&Conditions, as well as the templates that must be filled out and submitted to formalize the application.

The goal of the Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge is to distinguish the best research work with practical utility developed in Portugal. This is an idea contest organized annually by Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, an applied research center, and is directed to students and researchers from all Portuguese universities. The submitted ideas must have a practical aspect, i.e., they must be market-oriented, with applicability in industry or in people's daily lives.

For more information, please visit the official website of the Challenge (www.challenge.fraunhofer.pt) or contact via email challenge@fraunhofer.pt.

LSRE-LCM congratulates Filipa Casimiro for her PhD thesis defense on July 11, 2023.

Filipa finished the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, with the PhD thesis entitled "Lignin from Pulp Mill Sulfite Liquors: Production of Vanillin and Syringaldehyde by an Integrated Process within the Biorefinery Concept" supervised by Professor Alírio Rodrigues and Doctor Carina Costa.

The staff and team of LSRE-LCM wish Filipa success in the new professional stage that will now begin!