Gil Sampaio (CPES)
“In the EUniversal European project, and in addition to the development of applications for the monitoring and control of the low-voltage network, Gil played a key role in advancing and integrating the DSO Toolbox into the E-REDES systems – which enables new flexibility services provided by consumers connected to the distribution network. The toolbox integrates applications that allow to evaluate potential technical constraints, quantify flexibility needs, and select offers presented in the market. This involved developing different partner tools (E-REDES), the N-SIDE and NODES market platforms, and CENTRICA as a flexibility aggregator. Gil Sampaio’s work was vital to ensure the success of the demonstration activities in the Portuguese pilot”.
– CPES coordinators
You were involved in the EUniversal project; can you tell us a little more about this initiative (main objectives/goals, results, differentiating factor, etc.)?
One of the main objectives of the EUniversal project was to grant a more relevant role to electricity consumers, so that they can actively be part of the solution for an accelerated energy transition, as advocated by the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan and the European Green Deal. Hence, we developed an architecture that facilitates the integration of flexibility trading platforms, the Universal Market Enabling Interface (UMEI), which provides DSOs a broad range of flexible resources (e.g., consumers/producers change behaviours in exchange for some financial incentive).
However, even before the creation of mechanisms that facilitate the integration of new resources in flexibility markets, there are serious challenges regarding the observability and management of this aspect of the electrical system – particularly when the integration of renewable resources and high consumption loads is increasing, as is the case of electric mobility. The EUniversal project differentiated itself not only by its approach to flexibility markets, but also by addressing this new paradigm of exploitation of electricity networks, in which the operator – following criteria of cost, efficiency and resilience – must seek to apply preventive management strategies based on coordination between the different voltages (from high to low voltage), and considering multiple time horizons.
What were the main challenges of this project, namely in terms of the tasks you performed? And how can EUniversal serve to highlight the work of CPES, and also INESC TEC?
Improving the observability conditions of distribution networks is a challenge that has been identified for some time as vital to ensuring operational safety criteria, towards the efficient use of renewable resources. In fact, CPES already showcased important scientific contributions in this topic, with works of recognised value in forecasting the production of renewable resources, and in the use of machine learning tools that extract information from huge volumes of data, e.g., from smart consumer meters, in order to estimate the operational state of the networks. Likewise, we have a lot of experience in the development of decision-aid algorithms, both at the planning and operation levels. Balancing our vast experience with the scope of innovation established by the EUniversal project allowed us to build and support tools for the operation of distribution networks and demonstrate their high level of maturity. The results prove our potential to develop solutions in pre-commercial stages, cementing INESC TEC’s position as an innovation institution that addresses real business problems.
My role at EUniversal was initially to develop and improve tools for estimating the state of low-voltage networks and controlling flexible resources. The particularity of these tools is the exclusive use of data from smart customer meters, unlike traditional approaches that require an accurate representation of the physical model of the networks. In addition, the applied techniques use algebraic data exchange protocols that ensure the privacy of customer consumption data. When we reached the demonstration in real environments, I took on the role of supporting and guiding the development of other tools, precisely due to my experience in the integration and operationalisation of this type of software in control systems of DSOs.
Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
First, I appreciate the diversity of challenges that have been proposed to me over the years, requiring me to constantly adapt and boosting my technical skills, which would hardly be possible in another organisation. Second, I am proud to be part of a group that includes certain individuals whose brilliance and scientific contribution is widely recognised, with a spirit of humility and mutual help that fosters the sharing of knowledge.
How do you comment on this nomination?
I would like to thank the CPES coordinators; more than any nomination, for allowing me to be part of their “Incredible” team.
Luís Santos (CRIIS)
“The CRIIS coordinators would like to nominate the researcher Luis Santos. This nomination stems from the professionalism, motivation, and tireless dedication of Luís Santos in the various research activities and demonstrations of the TRIBE team he has been developing at CRIIS. His work on safe trajectory planning algorithms for agricultural robots supported the participation of a team led by him in the FIRA 2024 Hackathon Grand Défi Robotique Agricole competition, where they were ranked second. Luís demonstrated a high level of commitment that deserves to be publicly acknowledged”.
– CRIIS coordinators
You’re part of the TRIBE team, and you’ve been at INESC TEC since 2017; can you briefly describe your work, your activities, and your journey so far, within the institution?
I joined INESC TEC after completing my master’s thesis, in the field of robotics for agriculture. Since then, I dedicated myself to the research and development of safe trajectory planning methods for robots in agriculture, and more recently, in the safety and supervision of robotic operations in these environments. During this path, which has already taken seven years, I completed my PhD and had the opportunity to participate in several research projects and initiatives, both at national and European levels.
Are there any projects or initiatives, or even any moments that you consider to have been crucial to your career as a researcher?
In terms of projects, I would like to highlight two: the ROMOVI project, focusing on the development of an autonomous robot for monitoring in steep-slope vineyards. I developed my master’s thesis within the scope of this project, kickstarting my research career. Something that until then, I had not yet considered as a hypothesis for my professional path. I’d also like to highlight the European project SCORPION, dedicated to precision robotic spraying solutions. It promoted the collaboration with several European partners, and cooperation actions in environments different from the Portuguese reality (Spain and Italy).
A team led by you reached the podium in a hackathon, within the scope of FIRA 2024; can you explain the basis of the work developed, and what is the main objective?
This challenge focused on addressing autonomous navigation problems in agricultural environments, using realistic simulators. We competed in the area of dynamic obstacles diversion. In a first phase, we were the top group, among seven teams. In the final stage, the competition included all areas, and we reached second place – with a prize of €2.5K. The basis of this challenge stemmed from methods developed during my PhD for obstacle avoidance, which were improved and adapted in collaboration with José Sarmento and Francisco Oliveira, whom I thank for their significant contributions. The initiative to participate in this challenge came from José Sarmento, who found the challenge interesting, and invited the team members to participate.
Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
The incredible team spirit that currently exists in our lab. I also like to be able to contribute to significant technological advances in this area of robotics for agriculture.
How do you comment on this nomination?
This nomination is an honour and a recognition of my effort and dedication. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the “Incredibles”, and I hope to continue to contribute to the scientific community.
Paulo Ferreira (SAAF)
“I would like to nominate Paulo for the excellent follow-up work of the FCT Call of IC&DT projects in all scientific areas 2023, which ended on March 21. Paulo managed the liaison with the researchers during the application submission process, demonstrating a remarkable professionalism, commitment, and dedication. He prepared and provided support for the organisation of the information necessary for the submission of the application, promoted clarification sessions with the researchers, and replied to all requests for clarification by email and telephone, also clearing doubts with FCT and through the Balcão, demonstrating a high level of resilience – leading to the submission of 39 applications led by INESC TEC. It’s also worth mentioning that this process involved new challenges and difficulties, due to the use of a new platform and different regulation”.
– Marta Barbas, Executive Advisor to the Board and Manager of SAAF
You followed the FCT Call, whose 2023 process ended last month – resulting in the submission of 39 applications led by the Institute. How important was this work, not only for the fulfilment of the objectives of SAAF, but also of INESC TEC? What are the major differences from previous processes (workflow, involvement, dimension, tasks, goals, etc.)?
The FCT Call is vital to the activities of INESC TEC – and, inherently, to SAAF work. In this sense, when a Call like this opens, it requires significant additional effort, which is prioritised over the other tasks that keep taking place every day. This is not only due to the volume of proposals submitted (39 led by INESC TEC and 32 others in which INESC TEC acts as partner), but also because of all the background work required: preparation and compilation of materials to support researchers in the submission process; thorough analysis of the application notice and regulations, as well as of the software used for said submission process. The major differences compared to previous editions were mainly three: the new submission platform, Balcão dos Fundos, which replaced MyFCT, since this Call is co-funded by there is co-financing from the Cohesion Funds (COMPETE 2030 and Regional PO’s); the new scheme of eligible costs, which for the first time is based on the simplified direct costs regime, requiring whole new mental framework in the preparation and validation of budgets; and, above all, the fact that the submission of applications is now the responsibility of the Institution and not the Principal Investigators – and it was up to the SAAF, and me in particular, to perform said task.
What were the main challenges during this process?
I’d like to highlight the fact that this process started with several constraints; from the onset, the access to the Balcão dos Fundos provided to the Principal Investigators, but also due to changes in the form that were being made, as well as to several aspects not properly clarified in it. In addition, the difficulties of managing the priorities of several researchers; I understand that the application is a priority for everyone, but it was impossible to reply to all those involved at the same time, since this Call required a very effective management of the mailbox and the telephone calls. The only similar experience I had was the 2017 Call.
And, in this sense, I’d like to take this opportunity to address a structural challenge I truly believe we’re facing. I understand that there is an urgent need to motivate a space for reflection on the participation of INESC TEC in this important financing instrument, due to the nature of the typology of these projects. The volume of funding made available was higher than the aforementioned call; and we submitted twice the number of applications compared to this year’s contest. Considering that this year’s regulation was more restrictive in terms of the number of applications in which each researcher could be involved (at the national level), only 3.5% fewer applications were submitted than in 2017; however, at INESC TEC, this decrease was exactly 50%. In that call, 50% of the proposals submitted were financed; and it is likely that, in this call, the approval rate (compared to the available funding, which is significantly higher), will be even higher.
In this sense, I understand that INESC TEC is, globally, investing less on what would be desirable in this type of financing. Also, since 2017, the participation rate in calls has been systematically decreasing, and the application rate involving more than one Centre is now lower than in the past, which I also consider relevant. Reversing this trend of reduced participation seems to be one of the relevant challenges for the next edition. Another objective that I consider very relevant to achieve would be to have the applications properly instructed and reviewed, ready for submission a few days before the deadline.
Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
This answer is simple: at INESC TEC, there is not a day that is the same as the previous one. The challenges may be similar, but there are several variants that prevent my duties from becoming monotonous. There is also an excellent institutional culture, which facilitates my work. There is true team spirit at INESC TEC.
How do you comment on this nomination?
With a sincere “thank you”, namely to my manager, Marta Barbas. This nomination is a sincere recognition of my efforts, so that we could carry out this herculean task. My manager also deserves public recognition for all the effort and commitment she has dedicated to INESC TEC, for many years. It is undoubtedly an example of a performance that deserves to be known.
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