Research & Development Units by Universidade da Beira Interior

João Queiroz Rector

“Research, along with teaching, is the driving force of the University, and its level of excellence is always our main reference of prestige.”

A culture of research excellence is strategic to achieving these objectives. Scientific research is the engine of modern societies and is key to a university that seeks to achieve global recognition. This is why our research policy is focused on excellence within and across scientific fields, at European level and beyond. The level of excellence in scientific research is the hallmark that defines the international prestige and visibility of any university.

Ana Paula Coelho Duarte ICI coordinator and Vice Rector for Research and Innovation Convento de Santo António | 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 329 178 ici@ubi.pt | www.ici.ubi.pt The University of Beira Interior (UBI) is a young University (founded in 1986) that is strongly devoted to conducting worldwide leading research in strategic areas of knowledge. The UBI aims to promote excellent research according to international standards and contributing to the social and economic development of the region and the country in a sustainable way.

The researchers who develop their activity within the Research Units at the UBI are at the core of our culture of research excellence. These Research Units are integrated into the Coordinating Research Institute (Instituto Coordenador da Investigação, ICI), which aims to promote research, fostering the connection between areas of knowledge and the implementation of multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance the capacity of international acknowledgement of the scientific research of the UBI (…). The UBI is currently home to 9 Research Units, 3 Delegations of Research Units and 2 Delegations of Associated Laboratories covering almost all fields of knowledge. These Research Units, half of which were rated “Very Good” or “Excellent” in an evaluation process conducted by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), are presented briefly in the following pages of this publication.

[I&D units] 01

AEROG LAETA

Centro de Matemática

Centro Covilhã - 4034 Aeronautics and Astronautics Research Center

02 UDR Unidade de Deteção Remota

Centre for Aerospace Science and Technologies

C-MADE

MTP

NECE

CIES - UBI

LABCOM

Centre of Materials and Building Technologies

Textile and Paper Materials

Research Center in Business Sciences

Center for Research and Studies in Sociology

Laboratório de Comunicação e Conteúdos Online

04 CAST

IT-UBI

CIDESD

CEFAGE - UBI

IFP

CICS

Instituto de Telecomunicações Delegação da Covilhã

Research center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development

Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics

Institute for Practical Philosophy

Health Sciences Research Center

[CM-UBI]

Centro de Matemática

www.cmatubi.ubi.pt

Since its foundation in the early nineties, the main objectives of CMUBI are to carry out and support mathematical research, as well as to promote the dissemination of Mathematics as a fundamental discipline for the development of society at all levels. Currently, our work groups do research in the following areas:

Scientific Coordinator Luisa Maria Jota P. Amaral lpereira@ubi.pt Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 700

Probability and Statistics • group EVT (extreme value theory); • group STATISTICA (modelling, computation and inference). Partial Differential Equations • group MPPC (boundary problems with random elements, problems of optimal control, numerical analysis and simulation for nonlinear PDE); Algebra, Geometry, Topology, and Functional Analysis • group ATG (abstract algebra and applied problems of linear algebra, polyhedra and symmetry, locally Sierpinski Spaces, harmonic and pluriharmonic maps, Blumberg spaces and functions); Information Processing • group STATNAT (statistical natural language processing).

[UDR]

Unidade de Deteção Remota

UdR

www.udr.ubi.pt

This Research Unit has been dedicated to research and development in the Remote Sensing Field, since its creation in 1988/89. The different specializations and expertise of the Unit members have been used in several research projects, having remote sensing as a common denominator.

Scientific Coordinator José Alberto R. P. de Carvalho udr@ubi.pt Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 700

By the end 2002 the main areas of expertise of the Unit, which had matured over the previous years, were optical interference and diffraction analysis, photothermal radiometry, human colour vision measurement techniques, image and signal analysis and processing. In the period 2003-2006, and particularly during 2007, those areas have broadened and included applied physics and telecommunications. Considering the expertise in all these areas, the team has accumulated experience and has matured and is looking for a wider range of applications, and directing the research towards new areas, namely biomedicine and vision science. A wider variety of remote sensing methods have been established, with improved quality, for performing characterization of samples. The Unit also intends to intensify national and international collaboration with other Research Units and also Industry Partners that require remote sensing expertise. In 2008 Mechanics/Dynamic Systems and Electronic/Computer Systems were included. At present, the Unit comprises the following four Groups: Applied Physics and Telecommunications; Biomedical Sensing Research; Optics, Optometry and Vision Sciences; Electronic and Computer Systems. Research activities have been pursued in these areas.

[AERO G www.aeronautics.ubi.pt

]

Aeronautics and Astronautics LAETA Research Center

The Aeronautics and Astronautics Research Center (AeroG) is dedicated to the research and technology development in the field of Aeronautics and Space, with a view to improving safety and environmental protection, while promoting the socio-economic growth and the quality of life of citizens. The activities of the AeroG aim at contributing to strengthen the excellence of European science base in the scientific and technological fields of aeronautics and astronautics.

Scientific Coordinator Jorge Manuel Martins Barata jbarata@ubi.pt CalĂ§ada Fonte do Lameiro 6201-001 CovilhĂŁ Phone +351 275 329 732

The AeroG research activities include basic and applied research in the specific areas of Aerodynamics and Propulsion, Satellites and Aircraft Systems, Air Transport, and short takeoff/ vertical landing aircrafts (VSTOL). AeroG was evaluated by an International Evaluation Panel, under the FCT evaluation initiative, and received a classification of Very Good. AeroG is a member of the National Associated Laboratory LAETA.

[CAST] www.aerospace.ubi.pt

Center for Aerospace Science and Technologies

Historically, the research unit “CAST - Centre for Aerospace Science and Technologies” (www.aerospace.ubi.pt) was created in 1994 by a small group of aerospace engineers. Now we became a Reasearch Center developing studies in Energy, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a wide spectrum of areas, from Astrodynamics to Technological Forecasting.

Scientific Coordinator Anna Guerman anna@ubi.pt Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 700

We are involved in high-level international collaboration, scientific networks, and prestigious professional societies, also aiming to intensify and promote investigation and collaboration with the industry in these domains in Portugal, to improve the quality of teaching/learning in the involved institutions, to qualify high-level specialists, and to develop outreach activities. With these goals in view, the activities of the Centre are multidisciplinary and combine scientific, technological, economic and social aspects. The Centre research and development activities can be grouped within five main multidisciplinary thematic areas: • Dynamics and Control of Space Systems (DyCoSS) • Aeronautical Materials and Structures (AeroMaS) • Energetic systems (SiNerge) • Technological Forecasting and Industrial Management (TeFIM) CAST identifies its objectives as • Consolidation, intensification and internationalization of research in its activity areas; • Contribution to national and regional capacity of industrial development and technology transfer; • Training and qualification of researchers on post-graduate and post-doctoral level and initiation of graduate students in scientific research in the activity areas; • Promotion of the scientific culture in academic environment and to general public.

[C-MADE] www.c-made.ubi.pt

Center of Materials and Building Technologies

C-MADE research unit at Covilhã consists of just one research group, specializing in materials and building technology. The unit was created in July 2007. The group is working on “environmentally sustainable building materials and technologies”, a promising area, and has a genuinely inter-disciplinary research approach.

Scientific Coordinator João Paulo de Castro Gomes jpcg@ubi.pt Calçada Fonte do Lameiro 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 329 726

Research funding is mainly guaranteed by FCT projects. Some research is driven by industrial contacts and contracts. Doctorate students mainly carry on current research and group productivity is focus on publications in international journals. Ongoing research: • Use of mining mud waste to produce geopolymeric binders; • Development of waste geopolymeric-based artificial aggregates for wastewater treatment processes; • Valorization of mining waste in technical artistically applications; • Recycling of urban and industrial wastes in mortar and structural concretes; • Mix design methodology for mortars and special concrete; • Improvements in self compacting mortar and concrete technology; • Design criteria for warm mix asphalt design in plant; • Development and study of new structural materials, new building structural systems and new design methods; • Passive cooling technologies for buildings; • Performance assessment of the passive ventilated double window; • Development of waste geopolymeric-based natural vegetated panels for energy-efficient building green roofs and facades.

[IT-UBI] www.it.ubi.pt

Instituto de Telecomunicações Delegação da Covilhã

The IT - Covilhã is a research unit of the IT (Instituto de Telecomunicações, Pole of Coimbra).

Scientific Coordinator Abel João Padrão Gomes agomes@di.ubi.pt Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 700

It is hosted by Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, and where about 20 faculty members and 40 researchers develop their research activities in seven major topics: • Computer Graphics and Multimedia • Mobile Technologies and Telecommunications • Network and Multimedia Computing • Soft Computing and Image Analysis • Next Generation Networks and Applications • Applied Mathematics • Power Systems Our research unit provides the following facilities: a high-performance network, network servers, computer clusters running grid and cloud technologies, several high-end graphics workstations and PCs, laptops, network laser printers, wireless access to university network, and free access to online journals worldwide. Our research efforts are supported through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, the Portuguese Government’s leading funding agency for research, European Framework Programmes for research, and Institute for Telecommunications (IT) itself.

[MTP]

Textile and Paper Materials

www.webx.ubi.pt/~mtp

The general objective of the Unit is to do fundamental and applied research in the main domain of Materials Science and Engineering and more specifically in the following three sub-domains: • Textile Science and Technology; • Paper Science and Technology; • Chemistry and Physical Sciences.

Scientific Coordinator Manuel José dos Santos Silva mjssilva@ubi.pt Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 329 717

The final purpose is therefore in better design and optimization of all processes involved in the textile and paper manufacturing industries, from the search of new materials to the improvement of existing ones, in looking for new technologies and processes, and in improvement of the final product and development of new ones with specific characteristics. Ecological issues are an additional focus of research within the Unit since those processes must contribute to a cleaner environment. The research activities of the Unit are organized in 3 Groups: • Textile • Paper • Fundamental Sciences. The first two groups are more motivated to applied research and have established cooperative relationships with the local and national Textile and Paper industries. The third group serves as support to the activities of the former groups in matters related to fundamental knowledge in the Chemistry, Physics and Engineering areas. Interdisciplinary activities are guaranteed with Unit researchers originated from various Departments within Universidade da Beira Interior, namely: Textile Engineering; Paper and Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Physics; Mathematics; and Electromechanical Engineering. The Unit is unique in the sense of integrating the Applied Research perspective, and the large experimental facilities typical of the Textile and Paper industries, with the Fundamental Sciences point of view of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering.

[CIDESD] www.ubi.pt/Entidade.aspx?id=CIDESD#

Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development

The Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD) is a cross-institutional technical and scientifically multi-disciplinary unity of applied and fundamental research hosted in Vila Real, in University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Originally 2007 this centre appears from the network integration, by a consortium agreement, of six previous research units originally from the Polytechnic Institute of Braganza.

Scientific Coordinator Mário António C. Marques mmarques@ubi.pt Rua Morais do Convento 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 329 717

The Sports Schools of Rio Maior, the University of Beira Interior, the Higher Institute of Maia, the University of Madeira, the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, ther two extinguished Research centres previously accredited by FCT (National Foundation for Science and Technology) were also integrated and merged in CIDESD: the Institute of Sciences of Brain and Physics for well being and safety from Higher Institute of Maia, and the Research Centre of human development and Physical Activity from the University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro. In 2008, two more Institutions were fully integrated in this network: The nursing Health School of Vila Real and the Educational higher School from the Institute Polytechnic of Viseu. The research activities of the Unit are organized in 2 Groups: • Sports Performance • Performance analysis; • Genetic, Physiological and Biomechanical analysis; • Strength and Conditioning. • Health • Physical activity and health; • Health systems and services / health promotion; • Professional and pedagogical intervention.

[NECE]

Research Center in Business Sciences

www.dge.ubi.pt/nece_ubi

NECE - Research Center in Business Sciences of the University of Beira Interior is a research center, whose main objective is to promote excellent research in the areas of Business Studies and Economics, covering a wide range of scientific areas, promoting the interface with the entrepreneurial World, and giving support to the pos-graduation courses of the Management and Economic Department.

Scientific Coordinator Mário Lino Barata Raposo mraposo@ubi.pt Estrada do Sineiro 6200-209 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 600

NECE is organized around three main research areas; • Entrepreneurship, competitiveness and innovation; • Business and organizational management; • Economics and Finance. NECE support the research activities of its members, (support the presentation and travel to international conferences, acquisition of hardware, software, other equipment’s and consumable goods), promotes international conferences, workshops and advanced training. Through its members, the NECE is involved in several recognized international organizations, and its members publish Books and papers in Journals of leading international publishers as: Edward Elgar, Emerald, Elsevier, Inderscience, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley-Blackwell. Having obtained the rating of GOOD in the latest assessment of the FCT, the NECE faces now, the strategic challenge of improving its classification, for affirming on the national scene as a research unit based on quality and excellence of research in their areas of expertise.

[CEFAGE] www.ubi.pt/Entidade.aspx?id=CEFAGE-UBI

Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics

The Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics of the University of Beira Interior (CEFAGE-UBI) was created in 2011 and is a member of CEFAGE-UE which was founded in 2006, with the aim of promoting research in the areas of Management and Economics. Since 2009, CEFAGE-UE is funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Teconologia (FCT) and achieved the maximum grade (“Excellent”) in its latest research units evaluation. Its objective is to promote the basic and applied research to be published in a selective set of international peer-reviewed journals.

Scientific Coordinator Paulo Jorge Maçãs Nunes macas@ubi.pt Estrada do Sineiro 6200-209 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 600

The research interests of CEFAGE-UE’s members cover, among other fields, agricultural economics, econometrics, environmental resources, finance, industrial organization, innovation and entrepreneurship, international economics, labour economics, operations research, tourism economics, spatial economics and sustainable growth. Therefore, CEFAGE-UE is divided into four research groups: “Industrial Economics and Business Strategy”, “Econometrics, Statistics and Operations Research”, “Finance and Accounting” and “Labour, International and Spatial Economics”.

[CIES-UBI]

Center for Research and Studies in Sociology

The CIES-UBI, a pole of the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-IUL) in UBI, was founded in 2012 as a result of meeting the objectives pursued either by ISCTE-IUL, through the CIES-IUL, either by UBI, within the scientific research and diffusion of knowledge in the field of sociology and other social sciences.

Scientific Coordinator Alcides Monteiro alcidesmonteiro@yahoo.com Estrada do Sineiro 6200-209 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 600

Its main goals: • Develop projects of pure or applied research in the field of sociology or other related social sciences; • Develop theoretical models and methodologies within the framework of the different lines of research and projects; • Promote and support national and international publication of research results, in the areas of knowledge considered relevant and innovative; • Promote and assess the social intervention based on research; • Organize and assist in the organization of congresses, symposia, seminars, specialized courses, scientific meetings and conference cycles; • Stimulate and deepen the connection of the University with the community, actively promoting inter-institutional forms of cooperation that contribute to the formation of policy-making and action.

[IFP]

Institute for Practical Philosophy

www.ifp.ubi.pt

The Institute for Practical Philosophy (Instituto de Filosofia Prática - IFP) is a research unit of the of the University of Beira Interior and the University of Évora supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), an institution of the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

Scientific Coordinator José Manuel Boavida Santos ifp@ubi.pt Rua Marquês D’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 700

The main purpose of the IFP is to develop research programs in the field of practical philosophy, that is, above all, in ethics, moral philosophy and political philosophy. The Institute pays particular attention to the study of works by philosophers of the phenomenological movement, without neglecting the works of important philosophers of all tendencies, specially from the areas of the philosophy of action, ethics, political and social philosophy. At the end of 2011, the research team of IFP had 10 integrated PhD researchers, 12 PhD trainees and 3 PhD collaborators.

[LABCOM] www.labcom.ubi.pt

Laboratório de Comunicação e Conteúdos Online

Created in 2002, LabCom is a communication sciences research unit of the Faculty of Arts of UBI, supported by the FCT - having being evaluated as Very Good by International Panels. The main purpose of the LabCom is to develop research programmes about the status of the new communication technologies, especially those underlying online communication processes, to assess their impact on everyday life and the different kinds of resulting communication phenomena on an individual, collective, societal, and mass basis.

Scientific Coordinator António Carreto Fidalgo fidalgo@ubi.pt Rua Marquês D’Ávila e Bolama 6201-001 Covilhã Phone +351 275 319 700

At the end of 2011 the research team of LabCom had 23 integrated PhD researchers and 3 PhD collaborators. Due to the strong connection with the Communication Sciences Doctoral Studies, 36 PhD trainees are currently developing their research in the LabCom area of expertise. LabCom includes 3 research groups that work on an interdisciplinary basis: i) on online information and persuasion, with special focus on journalism; ii) on media and identities, with special focus on public sphere and participative democracy; iii) on cinema and multimedia. The most distinctive characteristic of LabCom is its strong online presence with: • 3 online libraries (BOCC - Communication Sciences; BOAL - Audio Literature; LUSOSOFIA - Philosophy); • 3 online journals (Communication Studies, Documentary Cinema and Rhêtorikê Magazine); • 1 online publisher (LabCom Books).

[CICS]

Health Sciences Research Center

www.fcsaude.ubi.pt/cics

The Health Sciences Research Centre (“Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde”; CICS-UBI) is a Research Unit financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The mission of CICS-UBI is to promote the production of scientific knowledge and background in Health Sciences. The Unit has two research groups of “Hormones and inflammation in health and disease” (HIHD group) and “Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences” (BBS group).

Scientific Coordinator José Ignacio Verde Lusquinos cics@fcsaude.ubi.pt Avenida Infante D. Henrique 6200-506 Covilhã Phone +351 275 329 001

The research activity at CICS-UBI involves: • The development of research from the basic to the clinical and epidemiological points of view. These research lines include domains such as neurodegeneration, endocrinology and reproduction, hypersensitivity and inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases; • The development of procedures integrating different technological subjects to respond to the new challenges of producing or modifying products or processes relevant for industrial application or with biomedical interest. The CICS-UBI obtained the classification VERY GOOD in the last FCT evaluation. The CICS-UBI facilities cover an area of 1830 square meters, which include common laboratories and specific facilities with a functional organisation. Some of the specific facilities are used to perform general tasks such as cold room and the freezers room for samples storage, solutions room, washing and sterilization room centrifugation room and a facility used for tissue processing samples. More specific facilities are the animal facilities, cell culture laboratory, fluorescence microscopy laboratory, polymerase chain reaction laboratory, nucleic acids electrophoresis laboratory, protein electrophoresis and western blotting laboratory, radioactivity laboratory, cytometry laboratory, cardiovascular physiology laboratory, chromatography laboratories, microbiology laboratories, proteomics laboratory, micro-calorimetry laboratory, NMR laboratory and organic synthesis laboratory. All these facilities are conveniently equipped to develop high level research in the scope of the research lines approved by the Scientific Council of CICS-UBI.