Participation in the meeting of the national higher education and research community exceeded all expectations in 2024. 641 people registered in the initiative, the third largest participation ever in the event.
Organized by FCCN, digital services of FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology – , the FCCN 2024 Conferences took place in Madeira, at the Pestana Casino Park and the Madeira Congress Center, with the close support of ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation and the University of Madeira.
102 speakers present at the meeting
From April 15th to 17th, there were more than 30 moments of knowledge sharing, from workshops debate sessions and round tables, which featured the participation of 102 expert speakers.
Among the speakers at this edition, we highlight the participation of the Rector of the University of Madeira, Professor Doctor Sílvio Moreira Fernandes, the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Science and Technology, Professor Doctor Francisco Santos, and the President of the Board of Directors of ARDITI, Professor Doctor Rui Caldeira.
They were joined by Eng.º João Nuno Ferreira and Dr. Salomé Branco, from the General Coordination of FCCN, as well as João Moreira, area director of FCCN and who this year was part of the organization of the initiative.
Also noteworthy is the participation of keynote speaker João Canning Clode, biologist and marine science specialist from Madeira Island.
35 entities sponsored the FCCN Conference in 2024
In this edition, the largest number of partner entities was reached: 35. Of these, 12 chose the highest sponsorship category – Platinum –, 20 companies became gold sponsors and three silver.
The list of sponsors was made up of national and international companies, belonging to the areas discussed at the meeting: Connectivity, Computing, Collaboration, Knowledge and Security.
Highlights of the closing session
At the closing session of the meeting, on April 17, some of the main figures and results of this edition were presented. The participants who completed 10 years of participation in the event were also recognized, and João Moreira and Salomé Branco thanked the various teams that contributed to the organization of the event: the Program Committee, the Session Managers, the session speakers, and Zapping FCCN and Community speakers. Thanks were also extended to the students and volunteers in attendance, the ARDITI and FCCN teams, as well as the participants, sponsors, and suppliers.
Prizes were also awarded for the "Journeys Through the Eyes of AI" competition held during the event, which challenged participants to create images using Artificial Intelligence to represent the FCCN Conferences in Madeira. First place went to Adriano Pinto Peres of the University of Algarve. Pedro Bravo of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon took second place, followed by José Ruben Freitas of MARE, who won the final prize. The competition was supported by Mitel Portugal and ARDITI.
The date and location of the FCCN Conference in 2025 are now known.
To end this edition with an eye on the future, the date and location of the meeting in 2025 were announced. From May 6th to 8th next year, Coimbra will host the FCCN Conferences.
