Our goals are to bring about a culture change in terms of working across disciplines and sharing knowledge and experience, and to foster the creation of new interdisciplinary teams who focus on the proposed themes.
NOVEMBER 3rd
08h30 - 10h00 | Action Tank 1 - Oil & Gas
UPTEC TECH - Space A
Theme: Future innovation challenges on Oil & Gas
Moderator: Gordon Winton, Herriot-Watt University
Invited Speakers:
Carlos Martins, Galp Energia
Karl Strømsem, Global Maritime AS
The action tank on oil and gas will address the future challenges facing the exploration and production of oil and gas. This workshop will address issues such as how industry and researchers can facilitate the integration of innovation into existing operations and thereby safely deliver more autonomous operation in increasingly challenging environments, increase production efficiency and find different ways of forming effective collaborations to make faster progress.
Our challenge is to identify a set of actions to help deliver better, more effective innovation in an economically constrained environment whilst ensuring that the processes, systems and technology meet the demands of industry, society and the environment.
08h30 - 10h00 | Action Tank 2 - Building Technologies
UPTEC TECH - Space C
Theme: Intelligent Systems for Structural Strengthening and monitoring
Moderator: Marcin Gorski, Silesian University of Technology
Invited Speaker(s):
João Guimarães, CENTI | monitoring systems
Alexandre Costa, NCREP
Urban buildings are critical infrastructures which need to face natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes and cyclones. Apart from the safe housing of citizens, in many cases, we need also to preserve historical buildings. So, there is a necessity of strengthening and monitoring existing buildings. The traditional methods for strengthening of buildings are not always acting in most effective way, opposite, sometimes they caused hazardous situations. New strengthening systems that may also act as monitoring are very promising. This session will focus on innovative strengthening equipped with monitoring systems.
10h00 - 11h30 | Action Tank 3 - Energy Management
UPTEC TECH - Open Space
Theme: Global need to save energy
Moderator: Joaquim Borges Gouveia, University of Aveiro
Invited Speakers:
Luis Castanheira, Polytechnic of Porto - School of Engineering
Helder Marques, SmartWatt
Energy management is the key to saving energy. Much of the importance of energy management comes from the global need to save energy. This global need affects energy prices, emissions targets, and legislation, all of which lead to several compelling reasons why we need to save energy. In this session we will talk about energy management systems and how these can be adopted in the organisations.
10h00 - 11h30 | Action Tank 4 - Healthcare
UPTEC TECH - Space B
Theme: Technologies for regenerative medicine
Moderators: Biqiong Chen, University of Sheffield | Maria A. Lopes, UPORTO
Invited Speakers:
Michael Tadros, Botin Foundation | Technology transfer & innovation of biomedical and biotechnology research-based products
João Transmontano, Biolotus Biotech | Investable tech trends in Health
Discussion Panel:
Eduardo Ascenso, Ceramed
Rui Amandi de Sousa, Stemmatters
Regenerative medicine is a promising approach to promoting health and quality of life. However, there remain challenges in translating regenerative medicine to clinical applications in many cases. This Healthcare Action Tank will discuss novel technologies for regenerative medicine which may have potential to address some of the challenges, whilst also covering the technology transfer and commercialisation potential of selected healthcare-related products.
11h30 - 13h00 | Action Tank 5 Smart Cities
UPTEC TECH - Space A
Theme: citizen engagement with new smart technologies
Moderator: Alex Peng, University of Sheffield
Discussion Panel:
Paulo Calçada, Porto City Council
António Bob Santos, CEiiA
Francesco Maurelli, Technical University of Munich
Although the smart city concept is driven by advanced technologies, its success is highly dependent on the engagement of citizens. Historically, such engagement has been problematic, especially considering individual differences in terms of age, education, skills, income levels, and family composition. A lack of citizen engagement is increasingly recognised as a global issue affecting successful deployment and usage of smart technologies worldwide. This session will address the issue of citizen engagement with new smart technologies and will discuss ways to overcome this lack of engagement. This session will focus on the new promising technologies and possible industrial application of flexible electronics.
11h30 - 13h00 | Action Tank 6 - Renewables
UPTEC TECH - Space C
Theme: SMART Buildings: Local energy storage
Moderator: Anders Bentien, Fre3nergy (Denmark)
Invited Speakers:
Adélio Mendes, University of Porto
Nuno Delgado, EFACEC
Buildings are increasingly encouraged to include Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for smart management of local energy production and consumption and cost savings. With local ESS solutions the end users can act as active players in an overall optimized electricity system. This session will focus on local energy storage solutions for smart grid integration, taking into account the synergies between technologies.
In collaboration with: 
NOVEMBER 4th
08h30 - 10h00 | ActionTank 7 - Advanced Manufacturing
FEUP | Room I-105
Theme: Factories of the Future
Moderator: Ben Morgan, AMRC
Invited Speakers:
Ben Morgan, AMRC | Factory 2050
Factory 2050 will be the UK's first totally re-configurable, digital factory, built to respond to an increasing requirement for advanced manufacturers to be able to make rapid changes to product design, as a result of ever-changing customer demands. It is designed so that machines and manufacturing modules can easily be moved around the shop floor.
Tiago Brito e Faro, ADIRA | Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing won't replace conventional production methods but it is revolutionizing industry worldwide. Increasingly Efficient Machinery and the expected reduction of the production costs, particularly in printed metallic products, are key factors to be considered.
08h30 - 10h00 | Action Tank 8 - Novel Materials
FEUP | Room A104
Theme: Flexible Electronics
Moderator: João Gomes, CeNTI
Invited Speaker: Luiz Pereira, University of Aveiro
Flexible electronics are lightweight, rugged, bendable, rollable, portable, and potentially foldable. Most of the objects in our daily life such as paper, bags and textiles are bendable/foldable. The integration of electronic functionality into everyday objects can improve their benefit to the user, and also give rise to new applications, such as flexible displays and smart textiles.
10h00 - 11h30 | Action Tank 9 - Automotive Innovation
FEUP | Room I-105
Theme: C2G Life Cycle Prediction of Automotive Materials & Systems
Moderator: Clara Frias, University of Manchester
Invited speaker(s): Júlio Viana, University of Minho
Material ageing is commonly understood as changes of material properties with time. This physical or chemical alteration has a detrimental effect on the material properties and leads to gradual loss of the design function and unacceptable loss of efficiency or ultimate failure. Ageing of a material system under normal service conditions is a difficult case to treat. Many factors can significantly affect its durability, such as temperature, irradiation, moisture, chemicals, mechanical creep and fatigue loading. This means that the impact of ageing on performance can be critical on 'customer experience'. This session will focus on an 'age-aware' comprehensive simulation tool for the prediction and assessment of critically important automotive components and systems during manufacturing, in-service and the end of life.
10h00 - 11h30 | Action Tank 10 - Global Engineering
FEUP | Room A104
Theme: Global Engineering
Moderators: António Moreira and Marc Zupan, University of Maryland
Globalization has transformed engineering practice. Our interconnected world demands global engineers: a new generation of engineers adept at working in culturally diverse and geographically dispersed teams to solve large-scale technical challenges. Within this new paradigm, technical preparation is not enough. To be "globally competent," engineers must demonstrate certain "defining" technical skills as well as the "enabling skills" that allow them to operate effectively on international projects. The Global Engineering Action Tank will cover the interdisciplinary study intersecting engineering technology, entrepreneurship skills and the influence of the global society/culture on problem solving. Topics to be addressed include but are not limited to how engineering is practiced globally, cultural issues, differences in engineering around the world, how to conduct oneself in a foreign environment, and preparing for an international engineering experience. The Action Tank will develop rules, methods, tools and Global Engineering schemes within the context of the available literature and our direct workshop observations.
11h30 - 13h00 | Action Tank 11 - Innovation on Railways
FEUP | Room I-105
Theme: Innovation on High Speed Railways
Moderator: Rui Calçada, FEUP | Pedro Alves Costa, FEUP
Invited Speakers:
David Connolly, Herriot-Watt University
Sérgio Neves, University of Huddersfield
Augusto Franco, Nomad Tech
Making the transport of goods and the mobility of people more secure, efficient and environmentally friendly are key issues on modern societies. Looking ahead, we need transport systems that meet the needs of its users, demanding faster and more competitive systems, without forgetting the minimization of environmental impacts. The use of high-speed trains shows how this vision for the future can be made a reality today. The development of further connections remains a key priority. The completion of these new connections will soon give the EU and its citizens a true high-speed rail network that will allow its users to travel in conditions of improved comfort and safety while at the same time reducing their impact on the environment. This session will focus on the innovation, which allows us to create competitive and interoperable systems of real technological excellence that support the development of high-speed railways.
In collaboration with: 
11h30 - 13h00 | Action Tank 12 - Service Design & Innovation
FEUP | Room A104
Theme: Fuelling service innovation through service design
Moderator: Lia Patrício, UPORTO
Invited speakers:
Dominik Mahr, University of Maastricht
Nelson Pinho, Compta
Service innovation has become a strategic imperative for Europe, as both service and manufacturing organisations look for new service solutions to co-create value with customers and improve their competitive position. Service design is crucial to service innovation, as it brings new service ideas to life.
Service design is a human-centered, creative, iterative approach to the creation of new services that incorporates multiple contributions from service marketing, operations, and information technology, all integrated through design-based methods and tools. It integrates designing thinking with its iterative process of exploration, ideation, reflection and implementation, with systems thinking that enables understanding and designing the interrelated components of service systems and value networks. In this session Professor Dominik Mahr from the Service Science Factory and University of Maastricht, and Dr. Nelson Pinho from Compta, will share their experience on how service design has helped fuelling service innovation in both academic and industrial contexts.
In collaboration with: 
14h00 - 15h30 | Action Tank 13 - Blue Growth
FEUP | Room I-105
Theme: Sustainable Presence in the Ocean
Moderator: João Sousa, UPORTO
Invited Speakers:
Martin Ludvigsen, NTNU
Francesco Maurelli, Technical University of Munich
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are playing an increasingly important role in helping scientists and industry understand the oceans. All can be programmed, some can be deployed for long periods, some to depths of 6,000 metres, most gather data about the water column, measuring ocean currents, while an increasing number map or photograph the ocean floor, reaching places inaccessible to other machines. Nowadays, the challenges are more related with the deploying of AUVs for longer periods, improving sensor capacity and making the machines less dependent on human intervention after deployment. Demands for greater capability by users means that AUV developers are focused on making improvements in areas such as energy efficiency, propulsion, command and control, payloads, autonomy and reliability. This session will focus on the challenges ahead and on the promising technologies that are being developed in the field.
14h00 - 15h30 | Action Tank 14 - Logistics & Mobility
FEUP | Room A104
Theme: Future transport and supply chain
Moderator: Lenny Koh, University of Sheffield
Invited speakers:
Pedro Côrte-Real, Sonae | IT for Logistics & Mobility
Jorge Pinho de Sousa, U.Porto / INESC TEC | Urban mobility, information systems and new business models
Internet of Things, Industrial Internet, Big Data Analytics and Industry 4.0 have influenced the role and value of data, information, knowledge and intelligence power in decision making across industry and public services. Mobility of goods and services from how they are sourced,produced/manufactured, stored, processed, transferred and consumed across the supply chain network are increasingly facilitated by complex network flow of data, information, knowledge and intelligence web. This Action Tank focuses on these issues in transport and logistics across supply chain network by exploring the possible future IT and Analytics power and changes required for Advanced Supply Chain Management.
