Other Infrastructures

BigData@UE is a high-throughput computing laboratory for big data analysis, aiming at providing research and innovation services not only to the Alentejo region, but also at national and international levels.

The Laboratory is a state-of-the art infrastructure equipped with a high throughput computing system and specialises in implementing automatic learning approaches, in particular in the most recent deep learning methodologies,  based on multi-layer neural networks. It is part of a Technology Enhancement and Transfer Center and its core focus is on technology innovation and transfer in the areas of artificial intelligence and automatic learning and big data sub-areas.

Its objectives are to develop and evaluate new deep neural network architectures, design retrospective and prospective models for specific areas, and their transfer to the community.

The overarching objective is to create a Business Lab for the promotion of technology and knowledge innovation and transfer so that the results from research are tailored to market needs. The infrastructure’s management is ensured by the Research Unit “Center for Advanced Studies in Management and Economics” of the University of Évora – CEFAGE, with the support of DIC2E.

This infrastructure provides physical support to technological infrastructures essential for increasing technological intensity, economic growth, and fostering entrepreneurial capacity. These actions generally aim at: boosting a new generation of entrepreneurs in the region, especially secondary school students; increase the number of start-ups at the University; and create knowledge and technology transfer laboratories in key areas of the region, thus fostering the dissemination of research results with potential application for businesses.

This is a collaborative project involving the Sines and Algarve Port Administrations, the Silves City Council and the University of Évora, in addition to MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Center, the Institute of Earth Sciences, and the Hercules Laboratory – Cultural Heritage Studies and Protection, all of which are part of the national scientific and technological system.

The CIEMAR research and innovation infrastructure is aimed at scientific research activities, technological development and innovation, transfer of scientific knowledge and technology to companies and other economic, social and government agents, especially in ecology, management and conservation of ecosystems and coastal resources, assessment and monitoring of the environmental impact of maritime works and human activities. Other new lines of work are also the subject of analysis: experimental marine aquaculture and the study of the seabed geologic and hydrographic features, tsunami and seismic risk of the Atlantic shore, wave energy, coastal sediment transport, monitoring for defining atmospheric circulation models, and survey, protection and enhancement of underwater cultural heritage.

The objectives of the Iberian Center for Research and Action against Forest Fires are to research and strengthen cooperation between universities and the civil protection systems to prevent and fight forest fires in Andalucía and Southern Portugal. A common research, training and awareness plan to be implemented in the Andalucía, Algarve and Alentejo regions is also in place.

This infrastructure covers the industry’s needs in the Aircraft, Engineering, Semiconductors and Energy sectors in Alentejo.
With the set up of high technology multinationals in the region, IDEIA has been pressed to provide various services such as studies, tests, miscellaneous services and prototyping of production processes. More specifically, the first stage of activity focuses on the study of the manufacture of parts in composite materials in the different processes relevant for the region’s companies, in a spirit of cooperation and knowledge transfer to the industry. In a second stage, the infrastructure’s activity will be widened to cover other sectors such as energy.

This infrastructure  helps reinforce the technology and knowledge transfer capacity to the economic and entrepreneurial activity, following on from existing activities with electronic equipment and heritage conservation and enhancement companies, but especially with all of the ornamental stone business fabric.

To increase its actions in the ornamental stone economic fabric, LITHOS has reorganised its competences by opening a front office where these products can be exhibited. To promote activities, this infrastructure articulates those of the Mechanical Testing Lab, of the Institute for Earth Sciences and of the HERCULES Lab. Moreover, it has broadened the laboratory competences of the Mechanical Testing Lab and of the HERCULES Lab to support Research, Development and Innovation of ornamental stone companies.

As agricultural companies need to be more competitive and sustainable and production costs need to be reduced at various levels, it is essential that they have a more efficient irrigation system and soil management practices capable of reducing water losses due to evaporation. Research in these areas now has an experimental field in irrigated agriculture, supervised by the Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED).
The increasingly important linkage between agriculture and the environment requires knowledge of the soil-plant-environment interactions, so this new infrastructure also relies on a coupled chromatographic - mass spectrometry system, essential for studying volatile compounds and understanding these linkages.
Work has been done for quite a while at the University of Évora on research projects and technology transfer in these areas, including the promotion of technology and knowledge transfer to the industry and society.