The 17th edition of FCCN Conferences, which took place at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto and which had this institution as its main partner, It reached historic numbers.
The three-day event was marked by the sharing of knowledge and the promotion of community connection, as well as moments of... networking and sharing.
“It was a pleasure to be the driving force behind the organization of these Conferences, with a very straightforward and always available team, both from the University of Porto and FCCN, in a beautiful city and building. We broke the registration record, we also have more and more themes and parallel sessions, and for all these reasons, it was an excellent Conference,” he highlighted. João Gomes, area director of FCCN, the digital services unit of FCT, and responsible for organizing this edition of the event.
According to Ana Camanho, Vice-Rector of the University of Porto “This edition reinforces the importance of the Conference as a meeting point for the community that uses and develops digital services in Portugal. For the University of Porto, it is very important to host the event, as it reveals our work to affirm this area as essential and strategic, and also recognizes the contributions achieved by the University.”
Event reaches highest number of registrations and sponsors ever.
In total, The FCCN 2026 Conference registered 1232 participants over the three days, featuring 118 speakers across 43 sessions, including lectures and... workshops.
This edition also saw the highest number of sponsors secured since the event's inception. There were... 44 companies that supported the meetingThis reveals the growing commitment of the business community to the initiative. Of these, 20 were platinum sponsors, having the opportunity to share their activities and knowledge in the conference sessions.
The event was also marked by moments that allowed for networking between participants and sponsors, and contact with the traditions of Northern Portugal.
On the 5th, the Happy Hour It had the support of EasyVista and Symplifyr. and brought together hundreds of participants who were able to enjoy a late afternoon with music and food typical of the occasion, in a moment reminiscent of the São João festivities.
The second day of the event began with the Plenary session, featuring welcoming remarks from João Gomes, area director of FCCN, and interventions from João Nuno Ferreira, vice-president of the Foundation for Science and Technology, and Madalena Alves, president of the same institution. João Barros, president of the new Agency for Research and Innovation, and Ana Camanho, vice-rector of the University of Porto, also participated in the session. Following this, keynote speakers António Murta and Rui Campos shared their knowledge in sessions dedicated to the relationship between research and innovation and to Connectivity, respectively.
The morning of May 6th was also marked by a performance from the group Sons do Douro, followed by the FCCN and Community Zappings.
Later, around 360 participants were present at the emblematic Palácio da Bolsa for the Social Dinner, and were also able to enjoy a moment of classical music, with a performance by a tenor and a soprano.
The community celebrated the 40th anniversary of FCCN.
In this edition, the challenge presented to the teaching and research community was to name the commemorative reserve for the 40th Anniversary of FCCN, creating the name and notes for this unique edition of Port wine. The competition was supported by Fortinet and registered almost 100 entries.
The grand prize winner was Pedro Miguel Silva, from iBET, who chose the name Fiber Core Cabernet Noble, explaining that “FCCN Fiber Core Cabernet Noble embodies the Portuguese digital infrastructure: a wine with a robust “backbone” and structured tannins. It balances connectivity and security through a harmonious bouquet, guaranteeing high availability of flavors. It is a reserve of confidence, where the tradition of the grape variety meets innovation and technological stability.” In second place was Marcelino Teixeira, from Arditi, who named his Reserve “Vintage 40 – Zero Latency.” In third place was Maria Alexandra Costa, from ISEG, whose entry was “FCCN 40 Years – Reserve of Knowledge.”
Innovation Hub: 10 presentations where “everything was listened to”
The stage Innovation Hub It was also one of the highlights of this edition, taking on a new format: a silent stage where participants listened to the presentations through headphones.
This system allowed for greater audience engagement with the speakers, enabling intimate presentations, even during event breaks. There were 10 presentations throughout the three days of the event.
At the closing session of the initiative, the location for the next edition was announced. Aveiro, between May 4th and 6th, will host the event in 2027, in an edition that will have the close support of... University of Aveiro.
