The Portuguese Computer Graphics Group (GPCG), the Portuguese chapter of Eurographics, honoured Professor António Augusto de Sousa, recently retired DEI lecturer, at the International Conference on Graphics and Interaction (ICGI’25), which took place on 13 and 14 November at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Centre in Sintra.

The session was attended by colleagues and former students who wanted to recognise the Professor’s career and exceptional contribution in the areas of Computer Graphics and Human-Computer Interaction, with special emphasis on his involvement as a founding member of the GPCG.

Recognised for his strong commitment to teaching, as well as for his constant support and enthusiasm for multiple academic and student initiatives, Professor António Augusto de Sousa leaves behind a remarkable legacy. This tribute highlighted his role as a reference and the high prestige he continues to enjoy among the Portuguese Computer Graphics and Interaction community.
In the context of this tribute, a brief historical review was requested in which the Professor revisits the founding moment of the GPCG and reflects on the journey and work developed over its 36 years of existence:

“The GPCG – Portuguese Computer Graphics Group was formally registered in 1990, having been established as a National Chapter of the international association EUROGRAPHICS.
In 1998, I was elected to the board of the GPCG, taking on the role of its second president. During this period, I initiated a series of scientific events that are still held annually today, and I promoted, on behalf of the group, the organisation of the EUROGRAPHICS 1998 conference, held in Lisbon.
I sought to create the necessary conditions for the affirmation and dissemination of the GPCG, while also encouraging collaboration with other similar groups, particularly in Spain. This cooperation was the embryo for the later creation of the SIACG conference series – Ibero-American Symposium on Computer Graphics.
Over the years, I have also held various positions in the GPCG’s management bodies, namely Vice-President (2000–2002 and 2013–2014), Treasurer (2014–2016) and Secretary of the General Assembly (2002–2008). In 2015, I led the process of digitising the minutes of all the meetings organised by the group, which were later indexed in the EUROGRAPHICS association’s digital library. More recently, I gathered and organised various historical documents, particularly those relating to the formation of the GPCG, and prepared a summary of the group’s history, which I presented at the EPCGI 2024 conference in Vila Real.

As part of the Comemoração Novos Mestres 2025, held on November the 22nd at Casa da Música, the Prof. Dr. Raul Vidal/Deloitte Award was presented for the fourth time since its creation in 2022.

The jury awarded the prize to António Oliveira Ferreira, a recent graduate of the Master’s in Informatics and Computing Engineering, who received a cash prize of €3,000.

As part of his Master’s thesis, entitled “Architectural design for the integration of Federated Learning Strategies: the NOUS Project use case,” and supervised by Prof. Ademar Aguiar (DEI), António developed a conceptual software architecture, composed of several interrelated components, which allows human input and supervision to be introduced into Federated Learning systems (decentralised Machine Learning), in order to prevent Artificial Intelligence from making 100% of a system’s decisions.

During his academic career he participated in various social and charitable activities and initiatives, as well as activities organised by JuniFEUP, FEUP’s Junior Enterprise, which enriched his career and contributed positively to the evaluation of his application.

Regarding the recognition, António shares: “It was with great gratitude that I received this award. Once again, many thanks to Deloitte for choosing me, it was an honour.”

He recently joined the Geração Caixa Programme, a trainee programme at Caixa Geral de Depósitos, where he will grow personally and professionally over the course of a year.

*This award is intended to honour a recent graduate from one of the following FEUP courses each year: Master’s in Computer Engineering and Computing (M.EIC) and Master’s in Software Engineering (MESW), who has distinguished themselves in curricular activities, for the quality and innovation of their work in the field of Software Engineering, and for their activities in support of students and of a social and charitable nature.

Lara Sá Neves, a graduate of the Master in Data Science and Engineering (MECD) from the Department of Informatics Engineering (DEI) at the Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), won the first prize in the Master’s Thesis Award category of the 16th edition of the Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge, with the project iHOMER, a pioneering approach in the field of applied artificial intelligence.

Developed as part of her master’s degree, under the supervision of Prof. Carlos Soares (DEI), the work presents an innovative algorithm capable of learning and reorganising information in real time, ensuring explainability and accuracy in dynamic environments.

Currently a doctoral student in the dual programme at Carnegie Mellon University – Instituto Superior Técnico, Lara Sá Neves sees this recognition as proof of the excellence of the education and research carried out at FEUP.

The award ceremony took place on 5 November in the auditorium of Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, in Porto. In the 2025 edition, the Master Thesis Award category distinguished four projects, with a total prize of €8,000, including work by students from the Universidade de Aveiro and the Instituto Superior Técnico.

Organised since 2010, the Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge annually recognises technological ideas from university students in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber-Physical Systems and User-Centred Design.

More about the winning projects here.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will support 24 outstanding students from the University of Porto through the Gulbenkian Novos Talentos Scholarships 2025. The program aims to recognize promising young talents, fostering academic and scientific development, and encouraging research and innovation across various fields of knowledge.

Among the awardees, we highlight students from Informatics Engineering and Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, reinforcing the University of Porto’s position as a hub of technological and scientific talent:

António Rodrigues (in the picture) from the Bachelor in Informatics and Computing Engineering (FEUP/FCUP), recognized for excellence in his academic trajectory.

Pedro Dinis Jorge, from the Bachelor in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (FCUP/FEUP), also acknowledged for his academic performance and research potential.

António sees the distinction as a gateway to the world of research: “It’s an excellent opportunity to explore an area that I hadn’t yet delved into in my career: scientific research, with a particular focus on the most fundamental areas of knowledge.”

Pedro wants to pursue a research career in Deep Learning, based on solid theoretical foundations: “Functional Analysis is one of my main areas of interest, as it provides the ideal mathematical framework for studying neural networks as universal approximators of functions.”

The scholarships can reach up to €3,500 per student, covering research expenses, tuition fees, and complementary activities such as participation in conferences, workshops, or international internships. Beyond financial support, the program provides personalized mentoring and networking sessions, promoting the integration of these young talents into the scientific and professional community.

This initiative by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation represents a valuable incentive for students to continue developing advanced skills in strategic areas such as computing, AI, and data science, contributing to technological and scientific advancement at both national and international levels.

The University of Porto congratulates the awardees and reaffirms its commitment to supporting and promoting the successes of its students, preparing them to become leaders in their fields.

This year, the International Conference on Graphics and Interaction 2025 (ICGI’2025) took place on November 13-14, in Sintra, jointly organised by ISTAR_Iscte, Iscte-Sintra and the Eurographics Portuguese Chapter (GPCG).

The conference brought together researchers, teachers and professionals from the fields of Computer Graphics, Image Processing, Computer Vision and Human-Computer Interaction, promoting the dissemination of completed or ongoing work and encouraging the exchange of experiences between the academic and industrial sectors and society.

One of the highlights was the presentation of the article “Materializer: Material Changing Haptics for VR“, authored by the former M.EIC student Henrique Mota Ribeiro, together with Daniel Mendes and Rui Rodrigues, both lecturers at DEI. The work received two distinctions of excellence, winning the Best Paper and Best Presentation awards, reinforcing the scientific and innovative relevance of the project.

The programme also featured prestigious keynotes such as Corina Sas (Lancaster University) and Daniel Gonçalves (IST/UL), leading experts in the areas covered by the event, and an exhibition open to industry, where brands and institutions presented innovative products and services.