From South America to Asia: INESC TEC collaborates with R&D units

In early 2024, INESC TEC strengthened the relations with three foreign entities: the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC) and the Eldorado Research Institute, in Brazil, and the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs), in Taiwan. High-performance computing, microfabrication and microelectronics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and data science are among the key areas of collaboration.

We travel to South America, more precisely to Brazil, a country with which INESC TEC has been collaborating. This year, the Institute signed cooperation agreements with two new entities: the LNCC and the Eldorado Research Institute. The objective is to promote training activities, exchange of researchers, and access to advanced research infrastructures, while fostering the development of joint projects in high-performance computing, microfabrication and microelectronics, AI and data science.

“The LNCC is a research unit of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. This entity hosts the Santos Dumont supercomputer, with about 5 Petaflops – which will soon become the largest in Brazil”, explained Rui Oliveira.

According to the member of the Board of Directors at INESC TEC, the cooperation agreement with the LNCC favours the ideal conditions for researchers to cooperate in R&D+I activities in high-performance computing, exploring the advanced infrastructures that the two institutions manage: the Santos Dumont supercomputer (LNCC), and the Deucalion supercomputer (INESC TEC), part of the European network of supercomputers. “In May, INESC TEC will welcome two LNCC researchers to carry out research work plans within the scope of this MoU”, added Andreia Passos, head of INESC TEC’s International Relations Service.

Moreover, the memorandum of understanding signed with the Eldorado Research Institute also establishes the development of similar activities – besides actions focusing on advanced computing, AI and data science, namely Microelectronics and Microfabrication.

Eldorado is an institute specialised in the development of products, services, and technologies with application in the areas of Software and Hardware Engineering, and Information Technology. This partnership will focus on R&D activities and human resources training for the creation of an innovation ecosystem at the service of the semiconductors sector, benefiting Brazil and Portugal, while aligning the strategies for this sector with the European agenda and initiatives like the EuroHPC and the EU Chips Act.

“In fact, both the MoU with the LNCC and the MoU with the ElDorado Institute (despite translating into bilateral cooperation mechanisms, with entities from the same country) end up reinforcing INESC TEC’s commitment to the EU’s R&D+I agendas and the strategic partnerships that the EU has been developing with other regions of the world – for instance, Latin America, through the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Digital Alliance”, mentioned Rui Oliveira.

From Brazil, we travel to the Asia. In order to advance a collaboration already established through a memorandum of understanding with NARLABS, INESC TEC signed an agreement with said network of laboratories, aiming at the short-term launch of a joint call for funding of collaborative projects between INESC TEC researchers and NARLabs network researchers.

“The call will take place in the last quarter of 2024”, said Andreia Passos, claiming that this agreement lays the foundations for the competitive financing of collaborative R&D projects, with a maximum duration of one year, in areas like AI, Robotics, Advanced Computing, and Green Energy. “These areas show a significant potential for collaboration between Taiwan and Europe”, she concluded.