Research - Universidade de Aveiro

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Research - Universidade de Aveiro

Investigação - Universidade de Aveiro

UA has set up the Research Support Office (GAI), with specialists and projects managers who can offer research centres at UA help in the development and implementation of strategies for research, in pursuit of the objectives established for the University and for the European Research Area, and individually assist UA researchers in the whole process.

07/09/2026

Regenerating bone while eliminating residual tumor cells in a single treatment is the challenge behind SMART-Bone, an innovative initiative coordinated by the Universidade de Aveiro. 🦴🔬

Funded under the FCT RESTART programme, the project is led by researcher Cláudia Nunes at CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials.

Following bone tumor surgery, SMART-Bone tackles recurrence and tissue repair using multifunctional 3D scaffolds made from chitosan, a natural, bioabsorbable biopolymer. Functionalized with magnetic and piezoelectric nanoparticles, this smart biomaterial regenerates damaged bone while destroying residual cancer cells via therapies triggered safely from outside the body. Because the scaffold naturally degrades as healthy bone forms in its place, patients avoid secondary removal surgeries. The non-invasive, externally controlled activation also enables highly personalized treatments with reduced toxicity and fewer side effects.

By uniting precision oncology and tissue engineering in a single platform, SMART-Bone aims to prevent recurrence, accelerate post-surgical recovery, and improve quality of life for bone cancer patients.

04/09/2026

Over 190 million animals are used in research worldwide every year, making the development of ethical, human-relevant alternatives more urgent than ever. 🔬✨

To help lead this transition, the Universidade de Aveiro is coordinating ORGAPET (Organoid-based Research for Guided Assessment using PET), an innovative project funded under the FCT RESTART programme and led by researcher Fabiana De Meneses Ribeiro at I3N - Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication.

The team is addressing a critical gap in preclinical molecular imaging by developing the first standardised and quantitative PET imaging methodology for cancer organoids, enabling reproducible and transferable studies that can substantially reduce reliance on animal models. By directly mirroring human tissue architecture and therapeutic response, ORGAPET is set to replace 40 to 80 animals per tracer in early validation studies, reduce experimental costs by up to 10-fold, and significantly cut laboratory waste.

Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), this project reinforces precision medicine while placing Portugal at the forefront of sustainable, non-animal biomedical research.

03/09/2026

How can we protect our historic centres against climate change and multi-hazard risks? 🏛️

The Universidade de Aveiro is a partner in the new HEROΕS project, funded by the EU’s Twinning programme and led locally by Alice Costa (Departamento de Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais e Cerâmica - Universidade de Aveiro / CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials)

Alongside coordinator Cyprus University of Technology / Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου and partners UCL, POLIMI, and TALOS, the team is building a Digital Twin decision-support platform. By combining Earth Observation, drone photogrammetry, GIS, and environmental modelling, HEROΕS links climate hazards, like extreme heat, rainfall, and fire, to building vulnerabilities, enabling fast, scalable mitigation and sustainable heritage protection. 🌍✨

02/09/2026

Can we make chemical safety testing faster, more accurate, and completely animal-free? 🔬✨

The Universidade de Aveiro is part of the new INTEGRA project, an initiative funded by Horizon Europe (Cluster 1: Health). The local team is coordinated by Mónica Amorim (Departamento de Biologia - Universidade de Aveiro / CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar).

The project is developing a next-generation safety testing platform that combines Organ-on-Chip technology, Digital Twins, and AI. Instead of looking at organs in isolation, INTEGRA connects living microfluidic models of the gut, liver, kidney, and brain with real-time sensors and predictive computational tools. Using human iPSC-derived tissues and advanced models, INTEGRA aims to deliver safer, human-relevant alternatives to animal testing for chemicals, pesticides, and nanomaterials. 🌱

01/09/2026

From Knowledge to Competitiveness in Science, Technology and Innovation

The Portugal–US Partnerships 2026 Summit takes place on October 30, 2026, at the Universidade de Aveiro. Explore the preliminary agenda and register through the official conference website. https://usptsummit2026.admeus.org/

04/08/2026

🌊 Understanding the deep ocean is key to protecting it

Although it is the largest ecosystem on Earth, the deep sea remains one of the least explored. DEEP-LEGACY will strengthen global collaboration in deep-sea biodiversity research, helping scientists align research priorities, improve the comparability of biodiversity observations across ocean basins, and generate the knowledge needed to support international ocean governance and conservation.

The project is coordinated by the Universidade de Aveiro, under the leadership of Ana Hilário (CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar), and has been selected for funding through the Horizon Europe, with up to €2.94 million to support its mission over the next four years.

30/07/2026

🤝 Strengthening collaboration for better local governance

How can local governments work more effectively with public institutions, communities and businesses to tackle today's complex challenges? GLo2gether seeks to answer this question by exploring how collaboration can strengthen local governments' capacity to design and deliver better public policies and services.

The Universidade de Aveiro is a partner in this MSCA Staff Exchanges project, with the UA team coordinated by Filipe Teles, from GOVCOPP - Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies. Bringing together 17 academic and non-academic partners from 15 countries, GLo2gether combines international staff exchanges, interdisciplinary research and real-world collaboration to identify what makes partnerships succeed and what causes them to fail.

29/07/2026

☕ Turning coffee waste into valuable resources

Every cup of coffee leaves behind more than just great flavour: it also generates waste from agro-industrial and household sources and also demands significant resources for its cultivation, including water, energy, and agricultural land. ReCoffee aims to minimize the environmental footprint associated with coffee production and consumption by transforming coffee industry by-products into high-value products for sectors such as healthcare, cosmetics and sustainable packaging, supporting a more circular and sustainable economy.

The Universidade de Aveiro is a partner in ReCoffee, a MSCA Staff Exchanges project, with the UAveiro team coordinated by Amparo Faustino, from Laqv-requimte, Universidade de Aveiro. Bringing together 12 partners from Europe and Latin America, ReCoffee combines researcher mobility, international collaboration and industry engagement to accelerate the development of innovative, scalable solutions that give coffee waste a second life.

28/07/2026

How can coastal communities adapt to climate change? 🌊

Maritorium: Rethinking Coastal and Marine Governance through Adaptive Design, Digital Tools and Staff Exchange will develop innovative approaches to the governance of coastal and marine areas by combining adaptive design, digital technologies, artificial intelligence and international staff exchanges. The project aims to create practical tools that support more resilient and informed decision-making.

The Universidade de Aveiro is a partner in this MSCA Staff Exchanges project, with the UAveiro team coordinated by Carlos Coelho and Fernanda Rodrigues, from CERIS - Investigação e Inovação em Engenharia Civil para a Sustentabilidade. The project brings together universities, public authorities and civil society organisations from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to promote knowledge exchange, researcher mobility and collaborative innovation.

28/07/2026

Can we build without "forever chemicals"?

SAFE2PROTECT aims to develop a new generation of PFAS-free coatings for the construction sector by combining innovative bio-based binders with advanced functional additives. The goal is to deliver high-performance coatings while significantly reducing environmental and human health risks associated with PFAS, the so-called "forever chemicals".

By following the Safe and Sustainable by Design approach, the project will contribute to the transition towards safer, more sustainable materials, helping shape the future of construction through innovation and scientific excellence.

Funded under the Horizon Europe Cluster 4 (CL4) programme, the project is coordinated by the Universidade de Aveiro CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, under the leadership of João Tedim, with the participation of researchers from CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar.

Endereço

Universidade De Aveiro
Aveiro
3810-193

Website

https://www.ua.pt/pt/uaresearch

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