The 16th edition of the FCCN Conference has ended in the student city of Coimbra. The Convent of São Francisco was the venue for the meeting, a place marked by hundreds of years of history that allowed for close contact with the student environment and the spirit of innovation.
In an edition that had the close support of the University of Coimbra and the Coimbra City Council, sharing knowledge and promoting connections between the community were the watchwords. After three days of work, historic numbers were also reached at the event.
“I have a very positive assessment of these days”, highlighted João Pagaime, area director at FCCN, FCT's digital services. After reviewing some of the main new features of this edition, he emphasized the importance of this meeting. “for the continuous improvement of our work”.
Salomé Branco, deputy general coordinator of FCCN, highlighted 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 registrations ever
In total, FCCN 2025 Conferences registered 1051 registrations, 116 speakers and 39 sponsors, numbers 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 the traditions of Coimbra. On May 5th, cultural activities, 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 were able to enjoy a late afternoon of music to the sound of the Moustache Brass Band networking, with a privileged view over the city.
The second day of the event began with a Portuguese Guitar performance, where a tribute to Carlos Paredes was paid by the artist Paulo Soares. 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 the performance of the Tuna Académica FAN-Farra.
New digital services suggested by the community
In this edition, the challenge posed to the teaching and research community was to create proposals for new digital services. The competition attracted 33 participants, the big winner being Dália Guerreiro, from the National Library of Portugal, who proposed the creation of digital certification centers.
Secondly, Ana Isabel Antunes, from Porto City Council, suggested E-OA, an automated 24-hour support service for clarification and technical support for questions related to Open Access. To complete the podium of this edition's competition, Miguel Faria Lourenço, from BioData.pt, proposed the creation of the CiênciaVitae Uploader, AI-powered module integrated into CiênciaVitae.
Innovation Hub: 11 presentations on the new FCCN Jornadas 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 breaks, they passed 11 presentations on this stage, giving voice to projects from 9 national teaching and research institutions.
On this stage, themes such as Artificial Intelligence, Collaboration, process automation or innovation programs.
At the closing session of the event, the venue for the next edition was announced. Porto, from May 5th to 7th, will host the 2026 event, with the close support of the University of Porto.
