2025 was a year of consolidation and progress for the FCCN, the digital services unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology. More than celebrating projects and infrastructure, this was a year in which the commitment to making technology a pillar that supports science, education, and knowledge in Portugal was reaffirmed.
Key milestones for 2025
#1 Creation of the National Center for Advanced Computing
The FCT established the National Center for Advanced Computing (CNCA) as new strategic framework for the development of advanced computing in PortugalThe initiative is funded by Recovery and Resilience Plan, within the scope of the Science Plus Digital measure., and it fits into the national effort to modernize and strengthen digital capabilities.
CNCA has assumed a central role in coordinating, monitoring, and promoting advanced computing initiatives, aiming to to maximize the benefits of these infrastructures for research, innovation, and the competitiveness of the national scientific and technological system..
#2 Launch of the new Policy on Open Access to Scientific Publications
FCT adopted a New Policy on Open Access, which made it mandatory to make publications resulting from research funded by it available in open access. The measure applies to articles, books, chapters, monographs, doctoral theses, and master's dissertations, ensuring that the results of publicly funded research are always accessible and reusable.
Without embargo periods and with the retention of rights guaranteed, the new Policy It facilitates scientific cooperation, increases the visibility of the knowledge produced, and reinforces the impact of Portuguese science. in society and in the economy.
This launch was accompanied by a support site, which aims to guide researchers in complying with the Policy throughout the entire process.
#3 AI Factories, QUANTUMvLAB and InovIA: New Paths for AI and Quantum Computing
2025 was proclaimed by United Nations such as the “International Year for Quantum Science and Technology”, also bringing new avenues for Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing in Portugal. AI Factory BSC, whose national participation is represented by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the CNCA, opened doors to startupsSMEs and public administration to develop and test innovative AI models and applications.
In the same context of innovation, the QUANTUMvLAB, installed on the Deucalion supercomputer, joined the HPCvLAB and to the AIvLAB to offer the national scientific community the 3rd virtual laboratory to explore quantum simulators, support training and create synergies with European partners.And in order for access to cutting-edge technologies to reach businesses as well, the vouchers InovIA They emerged to make available supercomputing and AI resources startups and SMEs, allowing them to test pilot projects in an agile and cost-free manner.These three milestones demonstrated how Portugal is strengthening skills, fostering collaboration, and making innovation more accessible to all.
#4 SciPROJ Portal: all the information about scientific funding in one place.
Another achievement for 2025 was the launch of SciPROJ Portal by FCT, through FCCN, as an integrated resource in the program PTCRISThe portal It has brought together in one place detailed information on national and international funding that supports research in Portugal., allowing researchers, institutions and the general public to quickly and flexibly access data on amounts, projects, researchers and institutions.
In addition to direct access, the SciPROJ API It allows for programmatic exploration of data, facilitating detailed analysis and monitoring of scientific funding. With automatic updates, data normalization and integration, the portal ensures consistency and reliability, promoting transparency and collaboration within the national scientific ecosystem. According to the latest data collected, the SciPROJ already had over 108,000 records from five funders and 19 funding types., reinforcing the commitment of FCT and FCCN to making structured and accessible knowledge available to all.
All information is available at SciPROJ Portal.
#5 Celebrating longevity: 30 years of PIX, 10 years of PTCRIS and 7 years of CIÊNCIAVITAE
2025 marked important anniversaries of digital services that shaped science and the internet in Portugal. PIX – Portuguese Internet Exchange celebrated 30 years as A critical point of interconnection between academic and commercial networks, ensuring fast, secure, and efficient national traffic.With 65 active members, five data centers, and an average daily traffic of 280 Gb/s, PIX has established itself as a strategic infrastructure, allowing the country to remain at the forefront of a neutral and resilient internet.
THE PTCRIS, scientific interoperability service, turned 10 years old, standing out for its systems integration, synchronization with ORCID, and the launch of the SciPROJ Portal in 2025. Throughout the decade, this FCT platform, developed by FCCN, saved approximately 195,000 hours annually in administrative processes. and has made Portugal an international benchmark in integrated management of scientific data. As for... CIÊNCIAVITAE, Celebrating 7 years, it became the A central tool for managing scientific curricula, with over 123,000 users, 3.8 million scientific publications, and 443,000 registered projects..
#6 IAedu: the platform that democratizes access to Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
The FCT, through the FCCN, launched in May 2025 the IAedu, a digital service that makes Artificial Intelligence accessible to higher education and the research community in Portugal. Presented at the FCCN Conference, the pilot project now offers free access to large-scale language models (LLM) and allows integration via APIs, supporting scientific and educational applications.
Available to all entities of RCTSThe service guarantees responsible use and confidentiality of data, integrating into FCT's portfolio of more than 25 digital services and complementing other AI and supercomputing initiatives funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
#7 FCCN Conference 2025: Knowledge, Tradition and Innovation
In 2025, Coimbra was the meeting point for the academic and technological community with the 16th edition of the FCCN Conference, held from May 6th to 8th at the historic Convent of São Francisco. A This edition registered record numbers, with 1,051 registrations, 116 speakers and 39 sponsors, reflecting the growing relevance of the event as a space for knowledge sharing and collaboration between education, research and business.
The meeting also brought new developments that strengthened the connection with the community. The Innovation Hub facilitated the presentation of 11 projects from nine national institutions. In a more intimate setting, the challenge to the teaching and research community resulted in proposals for new digital services. Between moments of networkingCelebrating the culture and traditions of Coimbra, from visits to the Joanina Library to Happy Hour, the event combined knowledge, creativity, and socializing, and has already announced the next edition in Porto in 2026.
#8 Lisbon hosted the International HPC Summer School 2025
Also this year, Lisbon hosted, between July 6th and 11th, the 2025 edition of International HPC Summer School (IHPCSS), one of the most prestigious international programs for advanced training in the areas of high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, Big Data, and scientific visualization.The program brought together more than 120 participants from around the world, graduate students, researchers and renowned experts, and has consolidated Portugal as a stage for international scientific excellence.
FCCN, the digital services unit of FCT, acted as host and institutional partner., collaborating in all phases of the organization. Participants worked in multidisciplinary groups and took part in practical and theoretical sessions. The event reinforced Portugal's position in the field of advanced computing and highlighted the importance of international collaboration for the development of skills and scientific innovation in the country.
#9 NAU has grown and strengthened national online training.
In November 2025, the NAU, a digital service of the FCT developed by FCCN, reached 500,000 registered users, adding to the milestone of 1 million registrations in courses reached in February. This growth exceeded all initial forecasts, which were projected only for 2029.
THE Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) This has allowed for the strengthening of resources and the expansion of services, consolidating NAU as a strategic online training platform. With over 100 active courses and the expectation of exceeding 150,000 new users by 2025, the initiative has reinforced its mission to make knowledge accessible and boost digital learning in Portugal.
#10 Course online Regarding "Digital Services for Higher Education and Research"
In December 2025, the FCCN launched on NAU the online course “Digital Services for Higher Education and Research”This course is aimed at higher education students, researchers, and anyone interested in exploring the main digital services of the FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology). It lasts approximately six hours. The MOOC combines a story-driven narrative and practical modules, following three profiles from the academic world to demonstrate the use of the platforms in an accessible way..
The course presents five essential services: ScienceVitae, RCAAP, b-on, Educast and FileSender, explaining its purpose and practical application to enhance learning, research and scientific collaboration. Flexible and designed to be completed at the participants' own pace, it is available in Portuguese, online and in an open format, allowing continuous registration and immediate access through NAU.
#11 Over 1000 Advanced Computing projects approved
The year was marked by a new edition of FCT Advanced Computing Project Competitions, promoted by FCCN, which allowed us to reach the historic milestone of more than 1000 approved projects Over the years, this achievement reflected the scientific community's confidence in the national funding model and the impact of access to high-performance resources on research and innovation in Portugal.
Since 2020, the Competitions have promoted the competitiveness of national science, supporting teams at all stages of development through differentiated access instruments., with the use of supercomputers such as Deucalion, MareNostrum 5 and CNCA resourcesThe 6th edition is already underway, opening new opportunities for researchers and companies to contribute to strengthening the advanced computing ecosystem in the country.
This initiative is supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).
#12 NAU assigned the first DOI to an online course.
NAU has taken another step in valuing education. online to the assign your first DOI (Digital Object Identifier) to a MOOC (MMassive Open Online Course) resulting from a research project. This step is fundamental for the recognition of the courses. online as objects of knowledge that can be identified, cited, and referenced in academic settings.
This advancement reinforced NAU's role not only as a learning platform. onlinebut also as A tool for the structured dissemination of knowledge produced in the national scientific context., aligning with Open Access policies and the promotion of knowledge funded by public funds.
NAU is integrated into FCT, being managed and developed through its digital services unit FCCN, and co-financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
