Técnico and Champalimaud Foundation Sign Memorandum to Create Neuro-Robotics Laboratory
«The Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and the Champalimaud Foundation formalized a new strategic partnership on February 18 through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Neuro-Robotics Laboratory (Neurorobotics Lab) within the Champalimaud Foundation’s Neurotechnology Warehouse. The agreement sets out a framework for long-term scientific, technological, and educational cooperation between the two institutions.
The occasion was attended by Pedro Lima, President of the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa), as well as Alexandre Bernardino and Catarina Barata, ISR researchers and faculty members of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC).
The partnership aims to promote outstanding interdisciplinary research at the intersection of neuroscience, robotics, and artificial intelligence, with scientific, clinical, and technological impact. The new laboratory will focus on four main areas: neurorehabilitation and digital therapies; embodied AI (artificial intelligence embedded in physical systems, such as robots, that interact with the environment through body and senses); social robotics; and biomimetic robotic applications.
“In addition to the joint supervision of students, the development of collaborative research projects, and the organization of joint events, the creation of a shared experimental space (Neuro-Robotics Laboratory) has the potential to leverage multidisciplinary research between established ISR-Lisboa areas and areas where the Champalimaud Foundation has research excellence, such as neuroscience,” highlights Pedro Lima. “In this way, we hope to elevate the impact of our scientific output in the interaction between Artificial Intelligence and the physical world, for example in robotics, healthcare, or smart cities.”
Under the agreement, the Champalimaud Foundation will integrate the laboratory into its neurotechnology ecosystem and facilitate access to scientific infrastructure and platforms. Técnico, through ISR-Lisboa, will contribute expertise in robotics, autonomous systems, brain-computer interfaces, neuroimaging, and neuroengineering, involving senior researchers, engineers, and postgraduate students.
With an initial duration of five years, the memorandum also establishes the intention of both parties to develop joint projects, advanced training programs, and applications for national and European funding.
On the day the agreement was formalized, a visit was also organized to the Técnico / ISR-Lisboa laboratories involved in the partnership, with a special focus on Cognitive, Social and Intelligent Robotics, and Biomedical Engineering. The institutional visit included Leonor Beleza and João Silveira Botelho, respectively President and Vice-President of the Champalimaud Foundation Board. Representing Técnico were its President, Rogério Colaço, and researchers from ISR-Lisboa.»
Text by Técnico in collaboration with the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa).