Centre of Technology and Systems
The centre has a new designation on line with the existing and planned activities. It was decided to re align research in three main lines each of them with two research groups and one hosting three activities. That led to a concentration and optimization of resources and to a clarification of the research scope and was done simultaneously with the enlargement of microelectronics spectrum of activities. A symbiotic approach was settled embracing microelectronics, telecommunications, and fractional signal processing.
The centre shows a sound record of cooperative internationalization (about 400 actions) and is highly competitive for international funding (EU, ESA, FCT and some other national/international programmes) reaching around 5M€ in reporting period.
The publication’s record shows over 550 items (around 100 in international journals). Graduation had an increment of MSc on going thesis (20 to around 80) and PhD candidates (16 to 26). The number of PhD full members reached 26 and will rise (30%) in the near future as well as graduation.
Under microelectronics research line much of the activity was based on the development of “circuits and components”. Time is up to address multidisciplinary “system’s development”, typically SoCs. Cooperative research on “superconductive systems” and “materials and processes”, on “power electronics” is also progressing. Coming from 130nm and 95 nm to 65 nm, microelectronics design is now looking at ‘nanotechnology based semiconductors devices’ as part of the future strategy. More research on optical communications, UWB microelectronic design (new PhD thesis starting) and telecommunications, is needed and a new researcher specialized in high frequencies will reinforce the research line. Tools for design, optimization and simulation of microelectronic circuits, will be realigned.
We will trim this effort with recent developments in the Galileo program (network of satellites to support the European GNSS system) with the partnership of CAST (equivalent to ESA and NASA) of the People’s Republic of China. We were asked to cooperate tailoring the graduation program and supervising future Portuguese engineers that will integrate the ground segment facilities in Madeira. R&D projects with aerospace Chinese institutes are planned to be looked for, and several proposals for PhD thesis were prepared for scientific collaboration in telecommunication, microelectronics and signal processing.
Under Computational Intelligence, Decision, Modelling and Control research line, we share a common interest in soft computing and non linear models for predictive adaptive control. One of the groups being more focused in space activities will certainly be influenced by the previously reported activities and developing scenarios. Besides the on going program to Mars (were landing problems are addressed), the GAIA (mapping the galaxy) and the Solar Information system projects will bring new visibility to the group and the centre. Recent re-located pos-docs also will have the opportunity to promote their research, in the area. The second research group, more dedicated to non linear models for predictive adaptive control will reinforce naturally its research core (quite successful in EU projects) and will be attentive to further developments.
The third research line is fully aligned with recent EU directives and concerns, both in building the foundations of Collaborative Networks and to respond to systems’ interoperability challenges and will bridge to telecommunications (notice the recent cross involvement preparing the recent study on ‘specific policy needs for ICT standardization’) and energy domains as targets for modelling cooperative networking. Novel contributions to establishing CN as a new scientific discipline and progress towards a reference model for CN including a unified based approach for manufacturing system and to give interoperability a sounder scientific base, are expected. Also domains as context awareness, service oriented architectures and collaborative environments will be object of additional research (PhD thesis). Production and diffusion of additional advanced training materials will complement and extend the existing scenario (12 courses on interoperability as e-learning materials and supporting an EU MSc degree).
As a global result, research will be more cooperative and multidisciplinary and aimed to reinforce:
- publishing, mostly in major journals and a selected niche of conferences;
- internationalization;
- research mostly supported by international funding;
- the graduation figures, mainly through much more PhD thesis;
- internationalization of young researchers.
As a natural process, hosted activities will be fully integrated during the next term. Also the centre researchers must have a scientific productivity compatible with the highest international standards or leave.