From October 12 to 16, e-Jornadas 2020 was the virtual meeting point for the community served by the National Scientific Computing Unit (FCCN Unit) of the FCT, sharing the latest news about FCCN services and projects.
During 5 days of work, the approximately 400 participants of the e-Jornadas 2020 had a total of 25 sessions at their disposal about the FCCN Unit's services and projects. A total of 83 speakers participated in the 2020 e-Jornadas, sharing the most up-to-date information on the main trends in the technological and digital world for academia and research.
The various themes highlighted in the FCCN Unit's eJornadas are directly linked to the various pillars that frame its services and the corresponding connection to national teaching and research institutions: Connectivity, Collaboration, Knowledge, Computing and Security and emerging technologies. Thus, topics such as Open Access, online threats, cloud services, supercomputing, and the role of collaboration tools in a pandemic context were some of the highlights.
This virtual edition of the conferences comes after the need to postpone the physical event – which was scheduled to take place in Leiria in May 2020 – due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even at a distance, the eJornadas served as a meeting point for the community served by the FCCN Unit, making it possible to share best practices, clarify doubts about services and publicize new features.
This year, the event incorporated a “Capture The Flag” competition, promoted by the FCCN Unit’s cybersecurity service – RCTS CERT. The competition was supported by MetaRed Portugal and brought together around 1,500 participants from 300 teams from all over the world. who, for 48 hours, sought to solve the cybersecurity challenges presented. In the end, the EPT Team, from the Norwegian CSIRT Equinor, was the overall winner, receiving a Google Home Kit Mini. A team from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), the STT Team, achieved the best national result, taking third place.
At the closing session, the General Coordinator of the FCCN Unit, João Nuno Ferreira, highlighted the importance of the work carried out, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages associated with remote work. Going forward, the goal will be to bring together the main advantages of virtual and in-person modalities at a future event, he revealed: “We leave these journeys with the challenge of seeking to reconcile, in the future, the best of both worlds.”
