From 18 to 21 May 2026, Instituto Superior Técnico’s Loures Campus hosted the Training School 2026: AccelMAPs (Accelerating Energy Materials Development: From Legacy Labs to Material Acceleration Platforms), an intensive training school dedicated to emerging approaches for accelerating the discovery and development of energy materials.
Organised within the framework of the COST Action EU-MACE (CA22123) and locally coordinated by the AccelMAPs team - António Pereira Gonçalves (CeFEMA), Ana Charas (Instituto de Telecomunicações), and Sandra Rabaça (C²TN) - the event brought together PhD students, early-career researchers, and international experts to explore the concept of Material Acceleration Platforms (MAPs).
Over four days, about 90 participants gained insights into the integration of computational modelling, artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, and laboratory digitalisation through lectures, hands-on sessions, and practical demonstrations. The programme also featured leading experts from European institutions, as well as researchers from Técnico/C²TN, including Nuno Barradas and Victoria Corregidor.
The training school highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the transition from traditional laboratories to intelligent, connected Material Acceleration Platforms, contributing to faster and more efficient research and innovation in energy materials.
COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is an EU-funded programme that enables researchers to establish interdisciplinary and innovation networks. COST Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and beyond and enable researchers and innovators to grow their ideas in any science and technology field by sharing them with their peers.
Photo credits: Francisca Santos
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