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On May 22nd, CMU Portugal Ph.D. student Manuel Carneiro and his Ph.D. supervisor Mahmoud Tavakoli and CMU Portugal researcher at FCTUC I Universidade de Coimbra, won 2nd place in the Sustainability category of the 12th edition of ArriscaC, a business idea competition promoted by Universidade de Coimbra. 

The awarded idea, GreenTag, is based on their published work on  conductive ink and bio stickers. 

GreenTag is a pioneer in the integration of advanced sensors (temperature, moisture, movement, location), low-time energy communications (Ble and NFC) and recyclable flexible circuit technology in conventional product labels in various industries. With a commitment to environmental sustainability, it uses the first water-based conductive paint that is totally recyclable and reusable through scalable and sustainable methods, contributing to a circular economy and minimizing electronic waste.

GreenTag exceeds traditional functions such as displaying basic product information and expiration dates. It offers real-time data for inventory management, product location and product dynamic information on smart shelves.

In addition to €1000 prize money to implement their business idea, the team also received 6 months of virtual incubation and mentoring by Instituto Pedro Nunes, an additional 6 months period of physical or virtual incubation at Startup Leiria; and support in the development of an Intellectual Property strategy by Patentree.

Manuel Carneiro shares how honored he is with this distinction “This award recognizes not only the quality of our scientific work but also the potential of our smart labels to reach the market and make a real impact in people’s lives. It feels great to have well-established entities like Instituto Pedro Nunes believe in the promise of our work and support us in the next steps to move science out of the lab”.

The CMU Portugal Academy, a recently launched advanced training center in digital technologies based in Lisbon, Portugal, has open applications to three advanced training programs: AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning; Product Management; and User Experience and Service Design. The deadline for applications is September 9, 2024 and each program has 30 available positions. 

Developed through a collaborative effort between the Instituto Superior Técnico, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, NOVA School of Science and Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University, with the support from the Santander Portugal Foundation support, the CMU Portugal Academy will offer in-person postgraduate programs to train new talents and professionals with experience in other fields.

Program Details

The Courses will start in September 2024 and convene through May 2025, comprising 246 contact hours scheduled on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. The activities will start already in June with a bootcamp common to the three courses where participants will engage in practical case studies and group exercises. The curriculum diversifies into three specialized modules unique to each program, and four optional modules, and culminates with a capstone project where participants apply their acquired skills to solve a real-world design challenge.

Classes will take place primarily onsite at ITI – Hub do Beato facilities, in Lisbon, with some modules taught by Técnico, FCUL, FCT NOVA, and CMU faculty members.

Eligibility and Application Process

Applicants should have a pre-Bologna degree (Licenciado) or master’s degree. Professional experience will be considered during the evaluation process, and submission of IELTS/TOEFL scores is optional. Applications can be submitted through the CMU Portugal Academy website. until September 9, 2024.

Early applicants will gain access to an introductory bootcamp covering the three topics, taking place on June 21, 22, 28, 29, and July 5 and 6 after work hours.

Program Overview

AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning program

This program provides foundational knowledge and skills in data science, machine learning, and big data technologies. Participants will learn data acquisition, preprocessing, machine learning algorithms, and model deployment to solve real-world problems and inform business decisions. It is ideal for data analysts, data engineers, software developers, and other professionals transitioning into data science or machine learning roles.

What to expect?  Applicants will learn foundational skills in data acquisition, preprocessing, statistical analysis, and machine learning algorithms. They can expect to develop proficiency in using data science tools and techniques to extract valuable insights from data and build predictive models.

Product management

This program focuses on methodologies and case studies of product development across start-ups, scale-ups, and large tech companies. It covers value creation, experimentation, testing, growth, and cross-functional team collaboration. Designed for entrepreneurs, product managers, engineers, project managers, and product designers, the program aims to empower teams to drive sustainable growth, innovation, and business impact.

What to expect? Applicants will acquire knowledge in product discovery, market research, metrics analysis, and agile methodologies. They will learn to identify market opportunities, define product strategies, manage cross-functional teams, and drive product growth and success.

User Experience and Service Design 

Offering comprehensive training in user-centered design, this program teaches participants to conduct user research, create interactive prototypes, and develop usable interfaces that enhance user satisfaction and business outcomes. It is suitable for aspiring UX/UI designers, graphic designers, web developers, and professionals interested in improving user experience in digital products and services.

What to expect? Applicants can expect to gain skills in user research, interaction design, prototyping, and usability testing. They will learn to create user-friendly interfaces and improve user satisfaction, which are essential for designing successful digital products.

For more information on the modules, faculty, and course structure, visit the program’s website the CMU Portugal Academy website.

André Martins, CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. in Language Technologies alumnus,  Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and researcher in the field of artificial intelligence at Instituto de Telecomunicações, has been selected as a member of the Research and Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG) of the EuroHPC Partnership. The EuroHPC JU is a joint initiative between the European Union, European countries and private partners to develop a World Class Supercomputing Ecosystem in Europe. The selection of RIAG members is based on their scientific and technical excellence and André was nominated by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) which represents Portugal on the Partnership’s Board of Directors as a Participating State. The decision to appoint new RIAG members was made in late February.

 

On Wednesday, May 8th, CMU Portugal at CMU hosted by NOVA Medical School Professors Helena Canhão, Dean; João Conde, Vice-Dean for Research; and Pedro Oliveira, Dean, and Leid Zejnilovic, Director, Data Science Knowledge Center from the NOVA School of Business and Economics.  

The group visited Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh to explore partnerships with CMU’s Tepper School of Business and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy strengthened its collaboration with the CMU Portugal Patient Innovation Accelerator, a recently launched initiative between two leading Portuguese Academic Institutions—NOVA Medical School and the Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE)—under the CMU Portugal program. 

 Leid Zejnilovic, João Conde, Helena Canhão, José M.F. Moura, and Pedro Oliveira 

Under the  CMU Portugal Patient Innovation Accelerator, participants will engage in various activities, including workshops, product development support, mentoring, networking, investor presentations, expansion into the American market, corporate partnerships, and sustainability strategies. The goal is further to accelerate the growth of startups in the Portuguese ecosystem, focusing on applying knowledge in artificial intelligence, supported by CMU expertise, including a Patient Innovation Bootcamp where participants will visit and develop their businesses at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. 

Throughout the visit the group engaged in fruitful discussions with the Tepper School of Business’ Dean Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou; Tad Brinkerhoff, Assistant Dean, Masters Programs; Willem-Jan van Hoeve (Ph.D.), Senior Associate Dean, Education; Carnegie Bosch Professor of Operations Research; and Alan Montgomery (Ph.D.), Head, Ph.D. Program; Professor of Marketing. 

The Patient Innovation delegation at CMU Tepper School of Business

Next, Kit Needham, Assistant Dean for Entrepreneurship Initiatives; and Director of Project Olympus spoke with the group on the work of Project Olympus, CMU’s internal incubator to assist with turning cutting-edge research and great ideas into startups. 

Lastly, the group met with Professors of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, including Beibei Li, Professor of IT and management; Rema Padman, Trustee Professor of Management Science and healthcare Informatics; and Ananya Sen, Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Management. 

According to Pedro Oliveira, Dean of the NOVA School of Business and Economics, “the visit and meeting at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business was very productive and promising. The Tepper School is a top business school with a strong focus on AI, data analytics and areas that are highly relevant for our schools at Nova and partnerships. In the meeting with Dean Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou we explored the possible collaborations.”

Helena Canhão, dean of the Nova Medical School, reflected on the visit’s positive impact  “The visit strengthened the collaboration with CMU Portugal Patient Innovation Accelerator and promoted collaborations with Professors at Heinz College who are developing exciting projects that apply to healthcare domains.”

 

Alexandra Mendes, a 2023 CMU Portugal Visiting Faculty & Researcher scholar from Universidade do Porto (FEUP), has been recognized  with the FLAD Atlantic Security Award, promoted by Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento (FLAD). The winning project idea emerged after her time at Carnegie Mellon University, visiting Professor Nicolas Christin at the Software and Societal Systems Department (S3D), where she came across a research project that analyzes fluctuations in prices in drug markets by analyzing dark web data. 

“My time at Carnegie Mellon University allowed for research discussions and exchange of ideas that brought me into contact with research using dark web data. This was crucial for the project idea that later resulted in this award.”

Alexandra Mendes’s awarded research focuses on creating a software tool to support decision-making processes within the defense and security sectors. The project involves the development of a prototype that aims to use a Large Language Model (LLM) trained or fine-tuned on data from the dark web and relevant policies for the Atlantic region.

The goal is to facilitate the formulation of defense strategies and policies, as well as security force operations against cybercrime, illicit trade, and other threats in the Atlantic region. The solution involves not only training/refining the model but also refining the prompts (instructions that allow us to ask the model for what we want) that guide interactions with it.

The €15,000 prize will allow the researcher to strengthen collaborations with stakeholders such as FLAD, the Atlantic Center, and the National Defense Institute (IDN), while also fortifying ongoing partnerships, including the one with CMU.

Alexandra Mendes is an Assistant Professor at Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidade do Porto, a member of the Software Engineering R&D laboratory, and a researcher at HASLab/INESC TEC. 

Photo: FEUP

Manuel Reis Carneiro was among the winners of the 2024 edition of Acelera@UC, an acceleration program promoted by UC Business, the Technology Transfer Office at Universidade de Coimbra (UC).

The CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at UC and Carnegie Mellon University, presented one of the five winning business ideas “E-skins: Wearable bio stickers for long-term electrophysiology” based on results from the Large Scale Collaborative project WoW. 

“The goal here was to take the scientific knowledge obtained from the Wow project and previously published papers from our labs in terms of wearable health monitoring and translate it into a commercial product that can in the future reach consumers. E-skins consist of a line of wearable biostickers that can be adhered to the skin and enable monitoring of various health parameters including heart, brain or muscle activity. These wearables are based on the conductive inks and fabrication techniques we have been developing at the Institute of Systems and Robotics at the University of Coimbra, and at the Soft Machines Lab at CMU.”

Throughout the months-long Acceleration program, participants were challenged to develop key tools and skills in communicating their research work, intellectual property, valorization and transfer models. The 12 participating teams of Acelera@UC delivered their technology pitches to a jury that included UC Vice-Rectors Gabriela Fernandes and Nuno Mendonça; the Coordinator of the R&D International Office of UC, Jorge Figueira; the Coordinator of Instituto Pedro Nunes’ Incubator, Ana Seguro; and the Head of Growth & Acceleration at Startup Portugal, Fernando Fraga.

“Participating in Acelera@UC was the perfect way of starting the transformation of knowledge created in the lab into a viable product and service that will hopefully reach consumers in the future. The program gave us new insights on IP protection and valorization as well as creation and funding of Startup companies. As I see it, the biggest advantage of this program is that it challenges us to create a professional pitch to better communicate our business idea to future investors, partners, and consumers but as well awarded our project with wide exposure through participation in the Startup Capital Summit,” explains Manuel Carneiro. 

The Ph.D. candidate will now present his work with the other four winning ideas at the Startup Capital Summit, the largest national event for venture capital, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer in Portugal, taking place on May 10th at Convento São Francisco, in Coimbra.

The other winning ideas were:

• ApneaScreener – Sleep apnea diagnosis on a blood droplet
• DyeLoop – Circular and Integrated platform for the recovery and reuse of textile dyes from industrial effluents
• NanoLensTech: Contact lens modified with nanotechnology for the treatment of keratoconus
• RubLiq: Dissolution of end-of-life tire rubber for surface applications

Manuel Carneiro has been working under his Ph.D. on the development of stretchable electronic circuits and wearable electronics, supervised in Portugal by Mahmoud Tavakoli (UC) and Carmel Majidi (CMU).

You can read more about Manuel Carneiro research here.