Professor Nuno Henriques (DEM/ISEL) participated as an invited speaker at the SCIE Conference — Performance-Based Design, organized by SFPE Portugal (Society of Fire Protection Engineers), which took place on 15 October at the VIP Grand Lisboa Hotel & Spa in Lisbon.The ISEL faculty member took part in the roundtable discussion “Fire Safety Challenges in a Changing World”, where he addressed the role of academia in responding to the sector’s emerging challenges. His contribution focused on the importance of higher education, scientific research, and the training of future professionals in developing more effective solutions tailored to today’s fire safety requirements.The conference’s central theme was the transition from the traditional prescriptive approach to Fire Safety in Buildings (SCIE) towards a performance-based approach, which enables safety solutions to be adapted to the actual risk profile of each building, promoting greater flexibility and better alignment with the specific characteristics of each project.The event brought together experts, practitioners, and representatives from various organizations to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the evolution of Fire Safety in Buildings (SCIE) in Portugal, with a particular focus on the adoption of performance-based design approaches.

On 19 October, ISEL and Thales Portugal signed a cooperation agreement aimed at promoting the development of joint initiatives in the areas of advanced education, research, and technological innovation.This agreement represents an important step in strengthening the connection between academia and industry, creating the conditions to identify and develop collaboration opportunities aligned with technological challenges and the qualification needs of the industrial sector.Among the areas to be explored in the short term, advanced education stands out, particularly the development of doctoral programmes in non-academic environments. This approach will help bring scientific research closer to real-world business challenges while fostering knowledge and technology transfer. It may also contribute to the training of highly qualified professionals, while simultaneously promoting applied research and business innovation.Another priority area is the Postgraduate Programme in Advanced Technologies for Drones, offered by ISEL, which may provide an opportunity to develop specialised skills in a rapidly evolving technological field with applications across various sectors and growing relevance for industry.The cooperation may also pave the way for other joint initiatives in education, research, and technological development, leveraging ISEL’s engineering expertise and Thales Portugal’s technological and industrial experience.Through the signing of this agreement, ISEL reinforces its strategy of strengthening ties with industry and enhancing the value of knowledge generated in higher education, promoting partnerships that contribute to professional qualification, innovation, and the development of technological solutions with an impact on society and the economy.The agreement therefore establishes a framework for collaboration in identifying and implementing projects of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on advanced education and applied research opportunities to be developed in the short term.

The latest update of the World’s Top 2% Scientists Network, the global ranking of the world’s most-cited scientists, has been released by Stanford University (California, USA).Among the more than 100,000 researchers included in the ranking, four ISEL faculty members stand out:Single Year Category- Luís Evangelista (DEC/ISEL), ranked in the fields of Building & Construction, Materials, and Built Environment & Design, affiliated with ISEL.- Stefano Stefenon (DEI/ISEL), ranked in the fields of Energy, Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing, and Enabling & Strategic Technologies, affiliated with IPL.- Ricardo Baptista (DEM/ISEL), ranked in the fields of Mechanical Engineering & Transports, Materials, and Engineering, affiliated with IPL.Career Category- João Gomes (DEQ/ISEL), ranked in the fields of Energy, Environmental Sciences, and Enabling & Strategic Technologies, affiliated with ISEL.- Luís Evangelista (DEC/ISEL), ranked in the fields of Building & Construction, Materials, and Built Environment & Design, affiliated with ISEL.Published on 7 October, the ranking is based on citation data from Scopus, the renowned online database of abstracts and citations of academic journal articles, and reflects citations recorded up to the end of 2025.

On 13 October 2026, ISEL welcomed a delegation from Macau comprising representatives of the Macau Talent Development Committee (CDQQ), the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and several higher education institutions, including the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), the Macau Polytechnic University (MPU), the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), and the University of Macau.During the meeting, opportunities for mobility involving students, academic staff and researchers were discussed, including exchange programmes, advanced training initiatives and mechanisms to strengthen links between higher education institutions and the labour market. The role of the Macau Talent Development Committee (CDQQ) in upskilling professionals in strategic areas and in creating favourable conditions to attract specialised talent was also addressed.In the field of research, scientific and technological areas of mutual interest were identified, with potential for the development of joint applied research projects, knowledge and technology transfer, and collaboration between higher education institutions and companies. Opportunities for cooperation with organisations based in Macau and in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of Asia’s most dynamic economic and technological regions, were also explored.This visit provided an opportunity to strengthen institutional dialogue between ISEL and the represented organisations, fostering the identification of future areas of collaboration and opening up new prospects for joint initiatives in the fields of academia, research, technology and talent development.

Between 23 September and 3 October 2026, the President of ISEL, Professor José Nascimento, and the Internationalisation Advisor, Professor António Serrador, carried out an institutional mission to Brazil, accompanied by Fábio Matos and Camilla França from TECHID. The initiative aimed to strengthen strategic partnerships, identify new opportunities for academic and scientific cooperation, and promote ISEL’s presence among leading institutions in the country.The mission included visits to Manaus, Recife and Salvador, with meetings held with universities, research centres and innovation ecosystems. Key topics discussed included the development of joint R&D projects, the creation of advanced training programmes, academic mobility, and the attraction of Brazilian students to ISEL.In Manaus, meetings were held with FPFTech, during which opportunities for collaboration were explored in areas such as artificial intelligence, satellite image processing, advanced materials, robotics, drones and sensors. Joint initiatives in advanced training were also discussed, including the Postgraduate Programme in Advanced Technologies for Drones, as well as applied research projects and student and staff exchange activities.In Recife, the delegation met with representatives of Porto Digital, one of the leading innovation hubs in Latin America, to discuss joint initiatives in innovation, entrepreneurship and mutual internationalisation.The mission concluded in Salvador da Bahia with a visit to SENAI CIMATEC, a leading institution in engineering and technology in Brazil, and its various centres, including CIMATEC Park, CIMATEC Aerospace, CIMATEC Digital and its headquarters. Particular emphasis was placed on participation in the inauguration of the institution’s new digital incubator, a project in which TECHID and ISEL are institutional partners, as well as discussions regarding future academic, scientific and business collaborations.This mission strengthened relationships with strategic partners, reinforced the presence of ISEL and TECHID in Brazil, and opened new avenues for cooperation in research, advanced training, mobility, entrepreneurship and innovation, further supporting ISEL’s internationalisation strategy.Photo: TECHID