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From the 1st to the 3rd of July, the Summer School of the project PhytoAPP took place at Lusófona University, in Lisbon. PhytoAPP is a project funded by the European Executive Research Agency of the European Commission, and coordinated by Professor Sergiy Lyubchyk from Lusófona University. Throughout the three days, the PhytoAPP Summer School featured a session of in-person and online lectures and practical sessions at Deep Tech Lab. Overall, the Summer School was a platform for participants to engage in the project, share ideas, and complement their theoretical and practical knowledge in the field. There were a total of nine lectures given by experts in the field from different countries, such as Professor Azer Zadigov (National Nuclear Research Center CJSC, AZ), Professor Daniel Anthony (Oxford University, UK), Professor Ziraddin Zadigov (National Nuclear Research Center CJSC, AZ), Professor Nurbol Appazov (Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda State University, KZ), Professor Tatiana Strekalova (Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda State University, KZ), Professor Gabor Somlyai (HYD LLC for Cancer Research and Drug Development, HU), Professor Katarina Siposova (Institute of Experimental Physics, SK) and Dr. Anastasia Tmur (YANDEX, NL). The lectures, which included Q&A and discussion sessions, covered a range of different and very interesting topics related to Medical Science: 1. Radiation benefits and risks for health; 2. Modern trends in Nuclear Medicine; 3. Navigating the Blood-Brain Barrier: Strategies and Challenges in Drug Delivery; 4. Prospects for avalanche electronics and its application in medical devices; 5. Potential Use of Camelthorn (Alhagi Pseudalhagi) Medicinal Plant Extracts in the Prevention and Treatment of Early-Stage Atherosclerosis; 6. New treatments with phytochemicals in mouse models of Parkinson and Alzheimer’s diseases; 7. Role of naturally occurring deuterium in cancer growth and prevention; 8. Amyloid Paradigm: From Pathological Structures to Functional Bionanomaterials; 9. AI in Drug Discovery: Accelerating the Path to Cures. Generally, as a project, the main purpose of the PhytoAPP is the design, development and delivery of innovative water-soluble Phytochemical Inhibitors for Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases prevention, by exploring the innovative nanotechnological solutions to overcome the challenge related to the phytochemical’s limitation on to their low water-solubility. Find more in the project's website!

On 10th of June, the Mid-term Meeting of the INNMEDSCAN project took place in Prague, Czech Republic. INNMEDSCAN is a project funded by the European Executive Research Agency of the European Commission, and coordinated by Professor Svitlana Lyubchyk from Lusófona University. The INNMEDSCAN project aims to develop a highly requested equipment in medical markets, a Hybrid Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Positron Emission Tomography (PET-MRI) Scanner. For this, the partners aim to design and produce a novel highly sensitive semiconductor-based photodetector, followed by the elaboration of the working prototype detector’s module suitable for elaboration of next generation of the hybrid PET-MRI scanners. In the mid-term meeting, the main advancements of the project were presented by all the teams of the Consortium related to the Work Packages (WP) of their responsibility, namely: Innovative Detectors Design and Production in Pilot Scale; Evaluation of the working Parameters of innovative Photodetectors; Electronic module’s Components Manufacture and Testing and Software development; Assembled the Detector’s Module for innovative PET/MRI Hybrid Scanners; Prototype Detector’s Module Testing & Validation. Moreover, the progress of Lusófona University’s coordination team on project management was also presented, with a focus on the communication and dissemination plan of the project and the data management plan. All teams from the Consortium were represented in the meeting, either in presence or online, namely: COFAC (Portugal), Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University (Turkey), Czech Technical University in Prague (Czech Republic); University of West Bohemia (Czech Republic); CascataChuva (Portugal); Institute for Nuclear Research of NAS of Ukraine (Ukraine); National Nuclear Research Center CJSC (Azerbeijan); Institute of Radiation Problems of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Azerbeijan).

On the 27th and 28th of May, the Mid-term Meeting of the Aqua Synapse project took place in Cavtat, Croatia. Aqua Synapse is a project funded by the European Executive Research Agency of the European Commission, and coordinated by Professor Sergiy Lyubchyk from Lusófona University. The main idea of the Aqua Synapse project is to establish the mechanistic basis of the positive health effects of deuterium depleted water. The isotope content of drinking water has been shown to possibly have implications to many diseases, such as cancer - while high concentrations of deuterium may induce mitochondrial dysfunction, and even lead to cell death, lower concentrations (deuterium depleted water), however, appear to have positive effects in human health and seem to represent a safe intervention with few, if any, side effects – but remains unclear at what concentrations the positive metabolic and behavioral effects become apparent. The project aims to verify this hypothesis and develop mechanisms to measure the health benefits of deuterium-poor water. In the mid-term meeting, the main progresses of the project were presented by all the teams of the Consortium related to the Work Packages (WP) of their responsibility, including: deuterium metabolic spectroscopy and deuterium metabolic imaging (WP1); deuterium impacting excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance in a human neuronal network model system (WP2); evaluation of effects of deuterium depletion in animal models of metabolic syndrome (WP3); evaluation of impact deuterium depletion in animal models of aging (WP4); production of deuterium depleted and control water samples, control of deuterium content in experimental tissue (WP5). The progresses of Lusófona University’s coordination team on project management were also discussed, particularly related to the communication and dissemination plan of the project and the data management plan (WP6). All teams from the Consortium were represented in the meeting, either in presence or online, namely: COFAC (Portugal), University of Oxford (England); University of Würzburg (Germany); Institute of Molecular Medicine João Lobo Antunes (Portugal); HYDLLC for Cancer Research and Drug Development (Hungary).

On the 21st of March, the Mid-term meeting of the EWALD project took place in Brussels – a project funded by the European Executive Research Agency of the European Commission, and coordinated by Professor Svitlana Lyubchyk. The project’s main objective is to develop an innovative framework to provide an Early Warning System (EWS) and responses to the Land Degradation threatening the EU from its external border, using multi-source and multi-scale Earth Observation (EO) data. Land degradation (LD) is the world's greatest environmental challenge affecting the environment, agriculture, and human wellbeing. Intensified by natural disasters and desertification, the LD may present potential risks and socioeconomic tension at the European Union (EU) frontier. In the mid-term meeting, the main progresses of the project were presented by all the teams of the Consortium related to the Work Packages of theirs responsibility, including: Technologies; Capacity Building; Strategies and Management. All teams COFAC (PT), RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAT BONN (DE), SCIENTIFIC CENTRE FOR AEROSPACE RESEARCH OF THE EARTH OF THE INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCE (UA), ZILINSKA UNIVERZITA V ZILINE (SK), LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ECOMM CO( UA), RESOURCE ENGENEERING COMPANY (MA), UNIVERSITE CADI AYYAD (MA) of the Consortium were represented in the meeting, either in presence or online.

Between September 16 and 19, 2024, João Reis, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management and Senior Researcher at the RCM2+ Center, participated in the VIII International Congress of Scientific Knowledge (VIII CICC), held at the CENSA Higher Education Institutes (ISECENSA), one of the largest private universities in Brazil. The International Congress of Scientific Knowledge, organized every three years at ISECENSA, is a space for debate, the exchange of knowledge and the dissemination of cutting-edge research, with the aim of improving teaching and learning and training professionals prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. In 2024, the event explored how sciences and technologies are transforming scientific research, academic practices and society, encouraging reflection on ethical, social and environmental aspects, as well as promoting debate on the use of these innovations to create sustainable, peaceful and inclusive solutions to global challenges. Professor João Reis presented an international lecture in which he detailed the research of the RCM2+ Research Center in the field of Artificial Intelligence applied to Engineering, with an emphasis on the results published by the Center. He also gave a three-hour mini-course aimed at engineering students, highlighting RCM2+'s scientific output in this area and its innovative applications in engineering contexts. The international nature of the event was evidenced by the presence of 521 external representatives from various universities, including Lusófona, the University of Lisbon and the University of Illinois (USA), totaling 2,977 participants. It was four days of intense immersion in knowledge, networking and valuing knowledge.

The RCM2+ Research Center is proud to announce that two of its researchers have been ranked among the top 2% of the world's most influential scientists in 2024. RCM2+ researchers João Reis (Economics and Management) and Rui Cunha Marques (Environmental Science and Engineering) are among the 9 researchers from Lusófona University's Research Centers on the list of the world's most influential. The study report, carried out by Stanford University (USA) in collaboration with the publisher Elsevier, based on SCOPUS - the world's largest database of abstracts and citations of scientific publications until August 2024 - provides standardized information on citations, h-index, hm-index adjusted by co-authorship, citations of articles in different positions of authorship and a composite indicator. This edition of the “World's Top 2% Scientists 2024” includes 889 researchers linked to Portuguese institutions, 9 of whom are associated with Lusófona University Research Centers. This prestigious recognition highlights the contribution of RCM2+ and Universidade Lusófona to cutting-edge research and innovation.

On October 7, the launch meeting of the new E-NOSE Project took place in Novi Sad, Serbia. E-NOSE is a project funded by the European Union (REA) and coordinated by the Novi Sad Faculty of Technology at the University of Novi Sad. DeepTechLab, part of the RCM2+ Research Center at Universidade Lusófona, is part of the project's international consortium and was represented by professors and researchers Svitlana Lyubchyk, Sergiy Lyubchyk and Andriy Lyubchyk. E-NOSE (Acquisition and Modification of Hierarchically Nanostructured Oxide Active Materials for Advanced Biological Gas Sensor Project) aims to develop state-of-the-art gas sensors using cutting-edge nanotechnology: highly sensitive and fast “Electronic Nose” devices. But the project goes beyond sensor development - it also envisions a new global security system that integrates these sensors into mobile communication devices, enabling highly localized detection of threats such as epidemic outbreaks, fires and terrorist activities. This project involves multiple European and international partners (research institutions, companies and universities), who were present at the meeting, such as: Novi Sad Faculty of Technology (Serbia), NanoTechCenter (Ukraine), Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University (Turkey), Nanomaterials Research & Development (Poland), DeepTechLab Association (Portugal), NanoPhoenix (Italy), Institute of Materials Science of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan), Institute of Radiation Problems (Azerbaijan) and the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Sports Medicine (Uzbekistan). At the meeting, various conditions inherent in the partnership between the organizations were discussed, as well as future networking events necessary for the continuation of the project. This meeting was also especially important for coordinating the partners and the tasks to be carried out by each of them in order to reach important milestones in the field of research, as well as for discussing the next steps to be taken in the project.

The startup CascataChuva, a member of the CATCHER project consortium, has been nominated for the “Sustainability Technology” category in the Innovation Radar Awards. Following the public vote to select the finalists at the end of September, it was recently announced that CascataChuva is among the finalists. The CATCHER project, under development at the RCM2+ Research Center and coordinated by Lusófona University, focuses on the development of an innovative technology to exploit atmospheric humidity and convert it directly into electricity. This innovation aims to make efficient use of a new sustainable source of energy, reinforcing the EU's leadership in renewable energies. Since 2015, the European Commission has awarded the Innovation Radar Prize annually to exceptional EU-funded innovators, highlighting promising innovations that are making the transition from the laboratory to the market. Nominees are selected on the basis of data collected by the Innovation Radar, which identifies innovators with high market potential. This year, the 10th edition of the Innovation Radar Award will be celebrated in Lisbon, together with the Europas 100 Hottest Startups awards. During the event, 12 startups, including CascataChuva, will present their innovations, competing in 3 categories. The event will feature panels and talks from leading experts in the EU startup ecosystem. In addition, innovators competing for the Prize will also be able to compete for the Europas 100 Awards. Stay tuned and mark your calendar: November 11 at La Destillerie in Alfama, Lisbon

On November 18, the DeepTechLab team from the RCM2+ Research Centre organized the CATCHER project review meeting at the Lusófona University in Lisbon, which was attended by representatives from the European Union and the project's international partners. CATCHER (Creating an Innovative Technology for Converting Renewable Energy from “Humidity to Electricity”) is a project funded by the European Innovation Council (ERC) and coordinated by Lusófona University. The RP2 review meeting brought together team leaders from the consortium, two CEI officials, four scientific monitors and an expert from the Innovation Radar to assess CATCHER's progress. The event included detailed presentations on the progress made by the project partners, as well as a live demonstration of the innovative device developed. Issues related to technological, environmental and socio-economic feasibility were discussed, as well as dissemination efforts and innovation potential. The experts and stakeholders took part in question and answer sessions, addressing challenges and reviewing the milestones achieved, with a focus on alignment with the project's objectives. The meeting culminated with a feedback session highlighting the successes achieved and outlining the next steps as the project moves towards its completion in March 2026.