The 16th edition of the FCCN Days came to an end in the city of students, Coimbra. The Convento de São Francisco was the venue for the meeting, a place marked by hundreds of years of history and which allowed close contact with the student environment and the spirit of innovation.
In an edition that enjoyed the close support of the University of Coimbra and Coimbra City Council, sharing knowledge and promoting links between the community were the watchwords. After three days of work, the event also achieved historic figures.
"I have a very positive assessment of these days," said João Pagaime, area director at FCCN, FCT's digital services. After recalling some of the main novelties of this edition, he mentioned the importance of this meeting "for the continuous improvement of our work".
Salomé Branco, FCCN's deputy general coordinator, stressed that "what brought us here was the ability to reinvent, preserving what is essential, with a focus on knowledge, collaboration and sharing".
The highest number of entries ever
In total, the FCCN 2025 Days registered 1051 registrations, 116 speakers and 39 sponsors, figures achieved with the support of the two main partners and the entire FCCN team, FCT's digital services.
The meeting was also marked by moments that allowed close contact with Coimbra's traditions. On May 5, during the cultural activities, the participants had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the city or visit some of the most emblematic places of the University of Coimbra, such as the Joanina Library.
On the 6th, the Happy Hour brought together hundreds of participants who, to the sound of the Moustache Brass Band, enjoyed a late afternoon of networking with a privileged view over the city.
The second day of the event began with a Portuguese guitar performance, in which artist Paulo Soares paid tribute to Carlos Paredes. Later, 350 participants who were present at the Old Church of the Convent of São Francisco for the Social Dinner were also able to watch a performance by the FAN-Farra Academic Tuna.
New digital services suggested by the community
In this edition, the challenge put to the teaching and research community was to create proposals for new digital services. There were 33 participants in the competition, with the big winner being Dália Guerreiro, from the National Library of Portugal, who proposed the creation of digital certification centers.
In second place, Ana Isabel Antunes, from Porto City Council, suggested E-OA, a 24-hour automated support service for clarifying and providing technical support for doubts related to Open Access. Completing the podium for this year's competition was Miguel Faria Lourenço, from BioData.ptproposed the creation of the CiênciaVitae Uploader, an AI-powered module integrated into CiênciaVitae.
Innovation Hub: 11 presentations on the new FCCN Days stage
One of the new features of this edition, the Innovation Hub, allowed the community to share their projects in a more intimate setting, and was well received by the initiative's audience.
Over the three days of the meeting, during the breaks, 11 presentations took place on this stage, giving voice to projects from 9 national teaching and research institutions.
This stage highlighted topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Collaboration, process automation and innovation programs.
At the closing session, the venue for the next edition of the initiative was announced. Porto, between May 5 and 7, will host the meeting in 2026, with the close support of the University of Porto.
