The tenth edition of the event took place on 4 and 5 November at the Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade, featuring the 1st edition of the Técnico Innovation Summit.
The main room of the Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade was filled with more than 150 posters made by Técnico PhD students. The programme of the 10th edition of the PhD Open Days also included round tables on artificial intelligence and the role of PhD graduates in society, as well as meetings with alumni and a lecture on mental health. These and other initiatives were offered by the Técnico Doctoral School from 4 and 5 November.
‘PhD graduates think broadly, find solutions, promote new products and ideas’, said Rogério Colaço, the president of Instituto Superior Técnico, in his opening speech at the PhD Open Days on the morning of 4 November. ‘We’re living at a time in our country when we’re finally producing an adequate number of PhD graduates – more than 1,500 every year.’ ‘Even so,’ he warned, ’our economic sector still hasn’t realised the value of hiring these graduates.’ ‘It’s our responsibility, at Técnico, to make it happen’ he argued.
To this end, the president of Técnico highlighted the importance of the Técnico Innovation Summit, an event organised as part of the PhD Open Days, where the 21 ‘RRP agendas’ including projects with the participation of Técnico researchers were showcased. ‘The Técnico Innovation Summit aims to promote closer ties between PhD students and our partner companies in the “PRR agendas”, with the aim of encouraging the employability of PhD graduates’, he pointed out.
Cecília Rodrigues, a vice-rector of Universidade de Lisboa, said to the students in the audience ‘I am very proud of your dedication and hard work’. ‘Your contributions’, she continued, ’will certainly reinforce the crucial role of research, science and technology in shaping a better society. Técnico and ULisboa are looking forward to the impact of your work.’
The Técnico Doctoral School, organiser of the PhD Open Days, was presented during the event. The new Doctoral School will reshape the training of Técnico PhD students, increasing internships in companies and training in transversal skills on topics such as artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and science communication.
According to Técnico professor Leonel Sousa, who led the presentation, the Técnico Doctoral School is ‘responsible for overseeing the education and training’ of these students, offering support such as study spaces, free options and the PhD Fast Track programme, which allows students with top grades to complete their master’s and PhD programmes in five years.
Round tables, pitch competitions and a robot dog
During a coffee break, a small quadruped robot walked around the venue, arousing the curiosity of the participants reading the scientific posters. These relaxing moments were one of the reasons why some PhD students attend the PhD Open Days, keen to exchange views with colleagues from other scientific fields. The school’s alumni presentation session, among other moments, brought the students into contact with Técnico PhD graduates already in the job market.
João Oliveira came to the PhD Open Days to show the work he developed in the last four years in the field of robotics, as part of the PhD Programme in Mechanical Engineering. ‘It’s always fun to see the techniques that other students are using’, he says. Andrea Ferre, a former student at the University of Alicante, who has joined the PhD Programme in Civil Engineering, shared the same idea and added ‘if I were doing my doctorate in Spain, it would be easier. By being more challenging, the growth I achieve here, at Técnico, is greater’, she adds.
Later, the students showcased their scientific, technological and innovative work in the pitch competition. Diogo Oliveira (Mechanical Engineering) ranked 1st, followed by Hemaxi Narotamo (Biomedical Engineering) and Matteo Piani (Physics).
The round table titled ‘Research in Artificial Intelligence: prospects, opportunities and caveats’ brought together three Técnico professors who discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on society. Arlindo Oliveira, Mário Figueiredo and Chrysoula Zerva, moderated by Sara Sá (INESC-ID science communicator), discussed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on innovation and commented on the use of AI on education and industry. In addition to analysing the current situation, the three professors also presented their perspectives on how these technologies can shape the future in terms of employment, health and quality of life.
The PhD Open Days also included the traditional “Out of The Box” session featuring António Raminhos, in which the comedian shared personal experiences around mental health, bringing to the stage two students who also discussed their journeys. During the talk, topics such as anxiety disorders, stigmas around mental illness and the role of psychotherapy were discussed. Several participants asked questions encouraged by the guests’ sharing.
‘I’m proud to be the president of a school with these PhD students’, said Rogério Colaço during his brief speech at the closing session, summarising the two days of activities.
The National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CNCTI) – the government’s advisory body on science, technology and innovation – was presented during the event, on the afternoon of 5 November. Inês Lynce, a professor at Técnico, president and researcher at the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores: Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC-ID) was one of the personalities appointed to the CNCTI.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who described the CNCTI as ‘an essential element’ for ‘meeting the expectations of those in the field of research and those who want to transform knowledge and science into innovation and economic and social value, into solutions capable of creating more well-being’. the Minister for Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, and the Minister of Economy, Pedro Reis, also attended the ceremony.
The rector of Universidade de Lisboa, Luís Ferreira, highlighted ‘people closely working in innovation and entrepreneurship could play a crucial role in the dissemination of knowledge’. He also congratulated everyone present for ‘taking these significant steps for our country’.