FERNANDO PESSOA FOUNDATION
RESEARCH SUPPORT
It is the structure responsible for the technical, administrative and operational support for the research, development and innovation activities of the Universidade Fernando Pessoa and the Escola Superior de Saúde Fernando Pessoa.
Your mission is to support researchers and research units through all stages of scientific projects, promoting funding capture, knowledge production and dissemination, research valorisation, and the strengthening of institutional scientific culture.
The GAI is guided by the principles of integrity, rigour, transparency, accountability, and cooperation, while also promoting open science, innovation, the ethical use of artificial intelligence, and respect for human rights, the environment, and equal opportunities.
Your vision is to contribute to the establishment of Fernando Pessoa as a benchmark institution in scientific research, recognised for the quality, impact, and relevance of the knowledge it produces.
9 de Abril Square, 349 • 4249-004 Porto
T. 22 507 1365 • Ext. 2624
(calls to national landlines)
gai@fundacaofernandopessoa.pt
Plan of
activities
2022/23
Plan of
activities
2024
Research units
LIACC • Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Laboratory
It is a research and development unit recognised by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), headquartered at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and dedicated to research in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science.
The Fernando Pessoa University integrates this unit through a research centre, contributing to the development of scientific projects in areas such as Data Science, Machine Learning, Intelligent Systems, Natural Language Processing, Robotics, and High-Performance Computing.
Coordination: José Manuel Torres • jtorres@ufp.edu.pt
RISE-Health-UFP • Research and Innovation in Health
It is a nationwide research unit dedicated to biomedical, clinical and translational research. RISE-Health brings together researchers from various higher education institutions and healthcare units, promoting scientific excellence and knowledge transfer to society.
Fernando Pessoa University is part of this unit through its research centre, participating in scientific projects in the fields of health sciences, digital health, artificial intelligence applied to health and healthcare innovation.
Coordination: Rúben Fernandes • ruben.fernandes@ufp.edu.pt
CECA • Animal Science Study Centre
It is a multidisciplinary research unit, founded in 1993, hosted by Fernando Pessoa University, and oriented towards an integrative approach “One Health” (One Health), which links human and veterinary medicine.
He conducts research in areas such as experimental surgery, reproductive biotechnology, antibiotic resistance and zoonotic diseases.
It has the mission of creating new diagnostic and therapeutic solutions that promote public health and animal welfare.
Coordination: José Manuel da Costa • josecosta@ufp.edu.pt
R&D projects
ESG4NPO • Strategic integration of sustainability in non-profit organisations: development of an artificial intelligence-assisted management tool
Principal investigator Ana Fonseca
UFP participants: Christophe Soares, Isabel Abreu, João Casqueira
Proposing organisation Fernando Pessoa Foundation
Collaborating institution: Federal University of Paraíba
Date of execution: 02-01-2025 / 01-07-2026
Funding: Foundation for Science and Technology
Eligible cost: 49 783,50 €
Financial support for the UFP: 49 783,50 €
Website: https://esg4npo.ufp.edu.pt/
MemNews • Oral history and memory/memories of consumption and news reception practices and habits and the experience of news in Portugal based on citizens' testimonies – the missing part for a history of journalism in Portugal
Principal investigator Jorge Pedro Sousa
UFP participants: Elsa Simões, Patrícia Weber, Renato Ferreira, Sandra Tuna
Proposing organisation Fernando Pessoa Foundation
Date of execution: 02-01-2025 / 01-07-2026
Funding: Foundation for Science and Technology
Eligible cost: 49 992,50 €
Financial support for the UFP: 49 992,50 €
Website: https://memnews.fundacaofernandopessoa.pt/
SAFENET • Seismic risk assessment in transport networks
Principal Investigator UFP: Happy Gouveia
UFP participants: Rui Moreira
Coordinating institution: University of Porto – Faculty of Engineering
Participating institutions: Fernando Pessoa University, Association of the Instituto Superior Técnico for Research and Development, and the European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering (Italy)
Date of execution: 12-03-2023 / 12-11-2026
Funding: Foundation for Science and Technology
Total eligible cost: 247 712,17 €
Total eligible UFP cost: 37 112,41 €
Financial support for the UFP: 37 112,41 €
Promodormus • A digital phenotyping enhanced just-in-time adaptive intervention for preventing people at ultra-high risk, clinical high risk, or with first-episode psychosis from transitioning to psychosis
Principal investigator Cristina Mendes
Participating institutions: Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Linköping University, Fundação Ensino e Cultura Fernando Pessoa, Luca School Of Arts
Date of execution: 2025 / 2027
Funding: Luso-American Development Foundation
Financial support for the UFP: 100 000 €
PrecisionPlastics • Redefining Recycling with Technology
Responsible researcher of the UFP: Christophe Soares
UFP participants: Feliz Gouveia, João Viana, António Lobo
Coordinating institution: EGITRON – Industrial Engineering and Automation
Participating institutions: Fernando Pessoa University, Sirplaste – Sociedade Industrial de Recuperados de Plásticos SA, PIEP – Polymer Engineering Innovation Centre, University of Minho
Date of execution: 01-10-2024 / 01-10-2027
Funding: COMPETE2030-FEDER-01183400
Total eligible cost: 2 065 223,36 €
Financial support: 1 614 615,45 €
Total eligible UFP cost: 505 248 €
Financial support for the UFP: 429 460,80 €
Website: https://sites.google.com/ufp.edu.pt/fct/fct/precisionplastics
MediSpeech • Improved efficiency in automated medical reporting to enhance doctor and patient experience
Principal Investigator UFP: Daniela Mendes
UFP participants: Christophe Soares, Rui Moreira, Rúben Fernandes, Ana Claúdia Pereira, Carla Luís, Diogo Ferreira, Elisabete Fernandes
Coordinating institution: MTG Research and Development Lab, Lda
Participating institutions: Fernando Pessoa University, University of Porto, Medicione, the EUREKA Network's ITEIA CLUSTER and 34 institutions from the United Kingdom, Turkey and the Netherlands
Date of execution: 01-2026 / 07-2028
Funding: COMPETE2030-FEDER-02491800 / Eureka ITEIA
Total eligible cost: 1 352 050,04 €
Financial support: 1 028 551,64 €
UFP eligible cost: 184 856,05 €
Financial support for the UFP: 157 127,64 €
EMBRACE • From vulnerability to capacity: implementation and evaluation of a multicomponent programme to prevent and compensate for age-related decline
Principal investigator Carina Fernandes
Participants Fernando Pessoa Foundation: Isabel Silva, Inês Gomes, Christophe Soares, Clarinda Festas, Céu Costa, Fátima Maia, Fátima Santos, Patricia Manarte, Sandra Gavinha, Cláudia Silva, Rita Guerra, Cláudia Barbosa, Inês Cadório
Proposing organisation Fernando Pessoa Foundation
Participating institutions: Fernando Pessoa University, Fernando Pessoa Health Sciences School
Date of execution: 29-05-2025 / 25-05-2028
Funding: COMPETE 2030 and Fernando Pessoa Foundation
UFP eligible cost: 249 696 €
Financial support for the UFP: 212 241,60 €
Website: https://embrace.ufp.edu.pt/
Digital Innovation in Schizophrenia Assessment • Integration of AI language analysis and neural biomarkers for psychiatric diagnosis. Multinational validation study of quantitative tools in Poland, Latvia and Portugal
Principal Investigator UFP: Ruben Fernandes
UFP participants: Daniela Martins Mendes, Ana Cláudia Pereira, Carla Luís, Pilar Baylina Machado; Ana Catarina Oliveira, Isabel Silva, Gloria Jólluskin, Carla Fonte, Pedro Barata, Fátima Cerqueira
Participating institutions: Fernando Pessoa University, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (Poland), Riga Stradiņš University (Latvia), BrainTrip Limited (Malta), Lumens Technologies Limited (Malta)
Date of execution: 02-03-2026 / 01-09-2028
Funding: Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS), Foundation for Science and Technology
UFP eligible cost: 105 000 €
Financial support for the UFP: 105 000 €
TexBioSafe • Biological monitoring of hospital textiles
Principal Investigator UFP: Ricardo Magalhães
UFP participants: Cristina Pina, Maria João Coelho Rodrigues
Coordinating institution: Biogerm, S.A.
Participating institutions: Fernando Pessoa University
Date of execution: 01-10-2025 / 30-09-2028
Funding: Norte2030-ERDF
Total eligible cost: 675 813 €
Financial support: 512 056,23 €
UFP eligible cost: 287 580 €
Financial support for the UFP: 244 443 €