Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) welcomed a delegation from the Portuguese Army, composed of representatives from the Directorate of Communications and Information of the Army General Staff.
The visit aimed to strengthen dialogue between academia and defense institutions and to present the Army’s strategic vision for the technological development of the Land Force 2045.
The meeting began with a session in the IT auditorium, where the Army delegation presented the main guidelines of the Land Force 2045 Strategy, focused on modernizing the technological and operational capabilities of the land forces. The presentation highlighted several strategic areas for the future of defense, including tactical and permanent communication and information systems, cyber defense, electronic warfare, space, artificial intelligence, and drone communications, as well as opportunities for training and internships in collaboration with scientific institutions.
This was followed by an institutional presentation of Instituto de Telecomunicações, delivered by the President of the IT Board, José Carlos Pedro, who presented the institute’s main scientific expertise, technological capabilities, and ongoing research projects in the fields of telecommunications, networks, intelligent systems, and digital technologies with potential applications in security and defense contexts. The session also included a discussion and Q&A, enabling an exchange of ideas between IT researchers and Army representatives.
After lunch, the delegation visited several IT laboratories, where research groups presented demonstrations of prototypes, experimental platforms, and ongoing projects. The laboratories visited included the Advanced Telecommunications and Networking Group, the Embedded Systems Group, Network Architectures and Protocols, the Radio Systems Lab, the Quantum Lab, and the Optical Communication Systems Lab. During these visits, researchers showcased technologies and activities related to advanced networks, embedded systems, wireless communications, quantum systems, optical communications, and experimental networking platforms, highlighting their potential applications in secure communications and critical infrastructure scenarios.
The visit concluded with a closing session in the IT auditorium, dedicated to discussing future collaboration opportunities between the Portuguese Army and IT.
The meeting allowed participants to identify potential joint research directions and reflect on how the scientific and technological knowledge developed at IT can contribute to addressing defense and security challenges in the coming years.
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