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EDITORIAL
Basic and Applied Research: Complementary Pillars of Scientific Progress
The long-standing debate over whether scientific institutions should prioritize basic or applied research has recently intensified following the integration of FCT into ANI to create the Agency for Research and Innovation (AI2), since this move has created the impression that innovation and technology transfer are being favored over the generation of fundamental knowledge. However, it is important to recognize that they serve different purposes, and the balance between them should reflect each institution's specific objectives.
Basic research is exploratory and often speculative in nature. Its aim is not to solve a single, specific problem, but rather to address entire classes of problems at once. It is what the scientific community refers to as curiosity-driven research, or for knowledge’s sake. Equally important, it sustains deep, up-to-date knowledge, which is essential to the quality of higher education systems. Ultimately, basic research provides the foundation upon which applied research is built.
Applied research, by contrast, is problem-oriented and focused on delivering solutions. It typically involves clearly defined end users who may actively participate in shaping the research process. It operates within tighter timelines, is context-specific, and must account for constraints such as budget and regulations. Unlike basic research, its success is measured by whether the proposed solution works in practice.
Despite their different aims, they share essential characteristics. Each must address a scientific or technological challenge that remains unresolved but is recognized as important by the broader research community. Both require adherence to the rigorous, demanding, and time-consuming scientific method, where no shortcuts are allowed. And both should generate not only publications, reports, or products, but also tangible and measurable impact.
So, before engaging in unproductive “strategic” debates - often marked by polarized arguments in favor of either basic or applied research - we should remember a simple truth: without applied research, there may be no funding; but without basic research, there is neither knowledge nor applied research to begin with.
José Carlos Pedro
(IT President)
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Nuno Borges de Carvalho is the first national recipient of the prestigious John Howard Dellinger Gold Medal
The International Union of Radio Science (URSI) has awarded Nuno Borges de Carvalho the prestigious John Howard Dellinger Gold Medal. This is one of the most important international distinctions in the fields of radio science, telecommunications, and electromagnetic waves; it also marks the first time a Portuguese researcher has received this award.
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Radio Systems Group - Interview with Nuno Borges de Carvalho
We have a new newsletter block, which provides more information about the research work, research impacts, and innovation of the IT research groups. In this issue, we caught up with Nuno Borges de Carvalho, who explained, in an accessible approach, the core of Radio Systemas' research work and future goals.
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LUSIADA Constellation Powered by IT Next-Generation AIS/VDES Antennas
LUSIADA constellation signals more than just technological progress. A critical technological breakthrough behind the constellation lies in its antenna system. Developed by IT in collaboration with academic and industry partners, the deployable antenna had to meet demanding constraints. Engineers designed a compact structure that could fit within a volume smaller than half of a CubeSat unit before launch, then expand in space to operate efficiently within the 156-162 MHz AIS/VDES frequency band.
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Técnico Distinguished Professor Fernando Pereira for his Exceptional Contributions
Fernando Pereira received this important institutional distinction in recognition of their outstanding academic and scientific achievements. A globally recognized expert in multimedia signal processing, Fernando Pereira has built a remarkable scientific career as a Professor and as a scientist.
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Instituto de Telecomunicações Member of IberianQCI Network
IT is participating in the IberianQCI project, a strategic initiative within the European EuroQCI (European Quantum Communication Infrastructure) program, led by Armando Nolasco Pinto in IT, that aims to develop a secure quantum communications network between Portugal and Spain.
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Kailash Hambarde Receives IEEE T-BIOM Outstanding Reviewer Award 2026
Kailash Hambarde, researcher at IT and the University of Beira Interior, Portugal, has been recognized with the prestigious IEEE Transactions on Biometrics, Behavior, and Identity Science (T-BIOM) Outstanding Reviewer Award 2026.
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PhD Student Joana Cabral Costa Awarded at ICAART
Joana Cabral Costa, a PhD student in Computer Engineering at the University of Beira Interior, supervised by Pedro Inácio and Hugo Proença, has been distinguished with the Best Poster Award at the 18th edition of the International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence, held in Spain.
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PROJECT SNAPSHOT | AcornSelectAI : When Artificial Science Meets Tradition
By Hugo Proença
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A new technological project is emerging at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the agri-food sector in Portugal. AcornSelectAI proposes an innovative solution for the selection and valorization of acorns, combining advanced computer vision, machine learning, and industrial integration.
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Abdelrahman Seleem
Deep learning-based Point Cloud Representation
Abdelrahman Seleem's thesis exploits the commonalities between PC and event data, which are both amenable to being represented as 3D models, with or without attributes, contain a very high number of (sparse) points/events, demanding very efficient coding solutions, and are commonly used for machine consumption, notably classification.
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