Carla dos Reis Medeiros, researcher at the Instituto de Telecomunicações, received the 2010 URSI Portugal Research Award for her work "UHF RFID Reader Antennas for Self-confined Tag Detection". The annual prize, sponsored by ANACOM, is awarded to the best research work in the field of radiocommunications, with the aim of stimulating creativity and rigor in scientific research work in this area, in Portugal.

The award-winning work was developed in the antennas group of the Instituto de Telecomunicações in Lisbon and presents a low-cost solution for the fine identification and location of products in store fronts (eg on shelves, showcases and tables in supermarkets, clothing stores, pharmacies, etc) using radio frequency identification technology (RFID) in UHF. The new concept of "intelligent surfaces" and the technologies developed are being transferred to the industry through partnerships, and a commercial product is already in the international launch phase. "Soalho inteligente" (Smart Floor), based on this technology, is already working in a store in Lisbon. The new solution is protected by a national patent and an international patent.

The research award was presented by the president of ANACOM, José Amado da Silva, during the 4th Congress of the Portuguese Committee of URSI, on 23 September 2010 in Lisbon.