Fábio Dias, Master in Electrical and Computer Engineering, was once again distinguished for the work developed in his master’s thesis “Ultra-Compact Sigma-Delta Modulator for Organ-on-Chip Systems”, supervised by Jorge Fernandes and Diogo Caetano, researcher at the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering – Microsystems and Nanotechnologies (INESC-MN). After receiving the Prof. Luís Vidigal Award in July, Fábio Dias achieved third place in the Master Thesis Award – Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge 2025.

The thesis focuses on the development of organ-on-chip technologies — devices that replicate the conditions of human organs and can be used for drug testing, helping to avoid adverse reactions after administration. Additionally, this technology aims to reduce animal testing and lower the costs associated with the process.

The projects in the competition must fall within the scientific areas of Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS (FhP-AICOS): User-Centered Design, Artificial Intelligence, and Cyber-Physical Systems.

In 2025, the Master Thesis Award category exceptionally distributed a total of 8,000 euros among the four best-ranked projects, while the Student Award granted 3,000 euros and specialized mentoring.

The 16th edition of the Fraunhofer Portugal Challenge took place on November 5, at the FhP-AICOS auditorium in Porto. The event brought together finalists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and academic representatives to celebrate scientific innovation with a positive impact on society.

News and photo: Técnico