The initiative brought together researchers, faculty, and students, combining practical sessions on European funding with a conference on mathematics and imaging, and presentations of research projects across various scientific areas. The morning featured workshops on European funding opportunities, organized by FCiências.ID and led by Enspire Science.
The main event took place in the Grand Auditorium of Sciences, featuring the Distinguished Lecture by Irene Fonseca, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and an international reference in Mathematics. Following a video showcasing CIÊNCIAS' research and innovation highlights, the faculty's director, Conceição Freitas, emphasized the importance of the scientific community and persistence in knowledge building.
Jorge Buescu, a CIÊNCIAS professor and recipient of the Grande Prémio Ciência Viva in 2024, introduced Irene Fonseca, highlighting her scientific career. The lecture "The Mathematics of Imaging" explored the relationship between mathematics and image processing, demonstrating how mathematical methods analyze, reconstruct, and enhance images for applications like medical imaging.
Cecília Rodrigues, vice-rector of the University of Lisbon, addressed the need to ensure conditions for scientific research development, such as sustained investment and infrastructure reinforcement. The diversity of research was also highlighted in the Flash Talks, with project presentations in areas including life sciences (Pedro Cardoso), artificial intelligence (Sara Silva), Earth sciences (Ricardo Trigo), cystic fibrosis (Margarida D. Amaral), environmental risks (Luis Gimeno-Sotelo), science and philosophy (Liberty Severs), and cosmology (Francisco S. N. Lobo).
The CIÊNCIAS Scientific Merit and Innovation Awards 2025 were also presented. Francisco Lobo received the Scientific Merit Award, Tiago Capela Lourenço the Research Funds Merit Award, and the start-up PHAIR-EARTH the Innovation Merit Award. Vice-director Cristina Máguas closed the session, stressing the importance of creating conditions for research to advance and address societal challenges.
The meeting concluded with a poster session and a networking event.
