NOVA Lancaster

Research in Asia delegation

A delegation from Lancaster University traveled to NOVA University Lisbon last month to meet with their counterparts and discuss shared research interests in Asia.

The delegation participated in the ‘Research in Asia’ event organized by NOVA University in Lisbon. The delegation included academics from Lancaster’s Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Health and Medicine, the Management School, and Lancaster University Confucius Institute.

The following is taken from NOVA University’s website:

On July 23, NOVA University Lisbon organized the conference “Research in Asia”, in partnership with the Lancaster University. The conference, promoted by the NOVA In the Globe initiative, will bring together researchers from Lancaster and NOVA, from different research fields and schools, who conduct applied research focused in Asia.

Research in Asia fostered collaborations between researchers from different scientific backgrounds, enabling them to share knowledge and collaborate on large-scale research projects with ties to Asia. The event featured a session on NOVA’s capacity-building projects in Asia and two-panel discussions, “Research-driven innovation: Challenges and opportunities” and “Cultural heritage and scientific diplomacy” with both external speakers and leading researchers from NOVA and Lancaster University.

In addition to the researchers from NOVA and Lancaster, the event was attended by the Vice-Rector of NOVA, Professor Elvira Fortunato, by the President of the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, João Marques da Cruz, by the President of the Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language, Ambassador Luís Faro Ramos, by the Oriente Foundation and by Professor Robert Geyer from Lancaster University.

The full article and event photos can be found here.

The three groups identified the following areas of collaboration: ‘Sustainable solutions for rice straw’; ‘Maritime cities – past, present and future’; and, ‘Emergent compounds and genetic markers presence in urban wastewater and their impact on organisms’ resistance’.

Lancaster University and NOVA University Lisbon established a strategic partnership in June 2018. The purpose of the partnership is to explore opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalisation, staff development and student recruitment.

This is the forth Lancaster University delegation visit to Lisbon since the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding.

From NOVA University’s website (please click here to access the original in Portuguese / English):

On July 23, NOVA University Lisbon will organize the conference “Research in Asia”, in partnership with Lancaster University. The conference, promoted by the NOVA In the Globe initiative, will bring together researchers from Lancaster and NOVA, from different research fields and schools, who conduct applied research focused in Asia.

The event aims to foster collaborations between researchers from different scientific backgrounds, enabling them to share knowledge and collaborate on large-scale research projects with ties to Asia. It will feature a session on NOVA’s capacity-building projects in Asia and two panel discussions, “Research-driven innovation: Challenges and opportunities” and “Cultural heritage and scientific diplomacy” with both external speakers and leading researchers from NOVA and Lancaster University.

In addition to the researchers from NOVA and Lancaster, the event will be attended by the Vice-Rector of NOVA, Professor Elvira Fortunato, by the President of the Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, João Marques da Cruz, by the President of the Camões Institute, Ambassador Luís Faro Ramos, by the Oriente Foundationand by Professor Robert Geyer from Lancaster University.

Entry is free but subject to registration.

Please check the Conference’s programme here.

Dr Sapeta (holding the flowers) having successfully defended her PhD; to her left is Dr Carmo Silva and to her right is her main supervisor, Prof Margarida Oliveira.

Plant Scientist and Lecturer at the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC), Dr Elizabete Carmo-Silva visited the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica of Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB-NOVA) in April 2019. Elizabete was one of two external examiners for the public discussion of the PhD thesis of Helena Sapeta, supervised by Professor Margarida Oliveira. PhD discussions in Portugal are very different from a PhD viva in the UK and the picture illustrates the members of the Jury with Dr Sapeta at the end of the session.

As part of the visit, Elizabete was invited to give a seminar at ITQB-NOVA on The complex regulation of the CO₂-fixing enzyme Rubisco. Elizabete presented the research she and the Photosynthesis Research team at LEC are conducting aimed at improving the productivity of globally important crops, such as wheat, as part of the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP). She discussed the complexities of Rubisco regulation and how our expanding knowledge and understanding of such complexities are essential to inform targeted approaches of crop improvement.

While at ITQB, Elizabete and collaborators Dr Isabel Abreu and PhD student Inês Matias Luís at the Proteome Regulation in Plants Laboratory of the Genomics of Plant Stress (GPlantS) research unit, met to discuss research findings and the development of future initiatives, including an upcoming meeting at Lancaster.

From the NOVA website (for original see here). For Portuguese version, please click here.

NOVA WELCOMES UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER FOR THE WORKSHOP RESEARCH IN LATIN AMERICA

The event fostered collaborations between researchers from different backgrounds, enabling them to share knowledge and work together in projects with impact in Latin America.

On April 16, NOVA University Lisbon hosted theworkshop Research in Latin America, in partnership with the University of Cambridge. The event, promoted by the NOVA In the Globe initiative, brought together researchers from Cambridge and NOVA, from different research fields and schools, who conduct applied research focused in Latin America, and had Lancaster University as a special guest.

The event fostered collaborations between researchers from different backgrounds, enabling them to share knowledge and work together in projects with impact in Latin America.

In order to stimulate the development of ideas for collaborative and multidisciplinary projects, the participants were divided into four thematic sessions: Development Economics, Health Science, Science & Technology and Social Sciences & Humanities.

The event was attended not only by the Vice-Rector of NOVA, Professor João Amaro de Matos, but also by professors Emanuel Gomes, João Crespo, Alexandre Abrantes and Pedro Cardim, experts in the different thematic areas, and by researchers from Cambridge Global Challenges (CGC), an initiative from the University of Cambridge that aims to promote multidisciplinary research with an impact in developing countries, as well as researchers from Lancaster University.

The creation of the NOVA Institute for Global Development (NOVA In The Globe) is one of NOVA’s strategic initiatives which, similarly to the Cambridge Global Challenges (CGC), is designed to work as a centre across the institution that promotes the collaboration and interdisciplinarity of areas and whose research is guided by sustainable development goals.

The Conference Research in Latin America was the third action promoted by the Institute, following the Conference Research in Africa, also in partnership with the University of Cambridge, and the Conference Research in Europe, in partnership with the Lancaster University, that took place in the Rectorate of NOVA in October 2018 and January 2019, respectively.

New research projects focusing on Latin America were developed when a delegation from Lancaster University travelled to Portugal this month.

The delegation participated in a ‘Research in Latin America’ event organized by one of Lancaster’s strategic partners, NOVA University in Lisbon. The delegation included academics from Lancaster’s Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Health and Medicine, and the Management School as well as professional service staff. A delegation from the University of Cambridge also participated in the workshop.

During the event, more than 60 academics from NOVA, Lancaster and Cambridge were divided into interdisciplinary groups, clustered around topics such as developmental economics, societal challenges, health research and technology. Groups developed new research proposals, which are now being prepared for submission to external funders.

Professor Robert Geyer, Lancaster University’s Interim Dean for Internationalization, said: ‘This was an excellent event for discussing linkages with NOVA and encouraging research interaction and relationships between Lancaster and NOVA academics. We look forward to taking part in the Asia Research event at NOVA in July and inviting NOVA staff to forthcoming Lancaster University research events and activities.’

Dr Patrick Rebuschat, Director of Internationalization, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, said: ‘This was yet another very productive event with our partners at NOVA University. NOVA and Lancaster share the same ambition, to contribute research-led solutions to current and future societal challenges. It is clear that this can only be done effectively by engaging with other universities, businesses and local communities, and our partnership with NOVA University is a clear reflection of this.’

Lancaster University and NOVA University Lisbon established a strategic partnership in June 2018. The purpose of the partnership is to explore opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalisation, staff development and student recruitment.

This is the third Lancaster University delegation visit to Lisbon since the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding. A fourth visit will take place in July 2019, when Lancaster is co-organizing a ‘Research in Asia’ event together with NOVA University. To get involved, please email Joe Bourne, j.bourne@lancaster.ac.uk. To learn more about the partnership, including previous events, please visit the partnership website.

The Lancaster delegation in front of NOVA University’s Reitoria (main administrative building). From left to right: Allan Discua Cruz (LUMS), Amalendu Misra (FASS), David Sobral (FST), Céu Mateus (FHM), Robert Geyer (FASS), Patrick Rebuschat (FASS). Not in the picture: Joana Zózimo (LUMS) and Natasa Lackovic (FASS).

Professor Céu Mateus

Professor Céu Mateus, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at Lancaster University has written an article for NOVA School of Business and Economics’ blog: ‘Future Talks’.

The article focuses on the need to recognise the potential of technology in the contribution it can make to increase health literacy. It also discusses how, with the news, one must look at the source of the content and say: no to fake news, yes to scientific evidence. Read the full article here.

Professor Mateus’ research focuses on economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals, digital technologies and services. Her work has covered a broad range of topics such as equity in access to care, hospital mergers, efficiency measurement, variations in medical practice, among others.

Professor Mateus will be attending the ‘Research in Latin America’ event at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa next month with seven other academics from various Lancaster University faculties.

Universidade NOVA de Lisboa’s Vice-Rector for Research and innovation, and Professor of Chemical Engineering, João Crespo, visited earlier this month to deliver a lecture to Lancaster’s Engineering Department on how different membrane functionalities impact on their performance. The lecture discussed how, similarly to biological membranes, synthetic membranes may be designed in order to organize the physical space, allowing for defining different “compartments” and regulating the transport of diverse (bio)chemical species between them. This permselectivity behaviour results from specific functionalities of membranes, which may be achieved by designing their morphology, chemical character and topography. The full abstract of Professor Crespo’s lecture is available here.

Joao Crespo and Emmanouil Papaioannou visit Lancaster Castle

Professor Crespo was hosted by Dr Emmanouil Papaioannou, Lecturer in Bio-Process Engineering and they had the opportunity to talk for near future collaborations. The two can be seen visiting Lancaster Castle.

While visiting Lancaster, Professor Crespo also met with Professor Robert Geyer, University Dean International, and Dr Patrick Rebuschat, FASS Director of Internationalization and Liaison Officer in the NOVA Lancaster partnership to discuss the links between Lancaster and NOVA and the development of future initiatives. This included NOVA’s upcoming ‘Research in Latin America’ conference to which Lancaster will be sending a number of delegates. Professor Crespo also met with Dr Nuno Bimbo in Chemical Engineering; Professor Alistair Martin in Engineering; and, Dr Vesna Najdanovic of Engineering and Energy Lancaster.

Professor Crespo’s visit continued the ongoing exchange of ideas between Lancaster University and Universidade NOVA de Lisboa as the relationship between the two institutions continues to develop and strengthen.

Dr Patricia Murrieta-Flores Co-director of the Digital Humanities Hub at Lancaster University delivered a workshop on ‘Geographic Information Systems for Humanities Research’ in collaboration with Dr Daniel Alves at the Instituto de Historia Contemporanea at the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Humanities at NOVA. The event took place on the 24 and 25^th of January. Over the two-day intensive workshop the 17 participants learnt theories related to Archaeology, History and Literature within the field of Spatial Humanities, and had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with the software and methods. Patricia and Daniel also presented advanced case studies to the audience.

The Digital Humanities Hub at Lancaster is a world renowned centre for the Spatial Humanities and the application of computational approaches to Humanities Research.

This workshop continued the ongoing exchange of ideas between Lancaster University and Universidade NOVA de Lisboa as the relationship between the two institutions continues to develop and strengthen.

Press release on the NOVA University website. To access the original, which includes photography fro the event, please click here. The English version can be found here.

Nos dias 10 e 11 de janeiro, o campus de Campolide foi palco da Conferência “Research in Europe”, organizada pela Universidade NOVA de Lisboa em parceria com a Universidade de Lancaster.

Na sessão de abertura, o Reitor da NOVA, Prof. João Sàágua, salientou a importância do aumento das oportunidades de investigação colaborativas defendendo que “é claro que atualmente a investigação de vanguarda apenas pode ser desenvolvida no contexto de redes internacionais relevantes e suportada por financiamento internacional. Este encontro é uma excelente ocasião para que isso seja possível”.

Os dois dias do evento, que contou com participantes e oradores do meio político, académico e empresarial, foram dedicados a discutir projetos científicos comuns, a agenda de investigação europeia e o futuro da colaboração entre as universidades britânicas e as continentais.

Mais de 60 investigadores da NOVA e de Lancaster trabalharam em conjunto com vista a identificar ou estimular o desenvolvimento de ideias para projetos colaborativos por equipas interdisciplinares. Os investigadores foram distribuídos por cinco sessões temáticas – Industry and Competitiveness, Innovative Solutions, Health Challenges & Policies, Societal Impact e Sustainability.

O Ministro da Ciência Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, Prof. Manuel Heitor, realizou uma intervenção onde salientou a desejável continuidade do trabalho conjunto entre Portugal e o Reino Unido, bem como das suas universidades, independentemente da trajetória do processo do Brexit.

Esta foi, aliás, uma mensagem comum a todos os intervenientes dos vários painéis. O Embaixador Britânico em Portugal, Chris Sainty, e o Dr. Filipe Gaspar, Vice-Presidente de Investigação e Desenvolvimento da Hovione deixaram os seus testemunhos sobre a importância destas parcerias como a existente entre a NOVA e a Universidade de Lancaster.

Veja os vídeos:

– Chris Sainty, Embaixador Britânico em Portugal

– Dr. Filipe Gaspar, Vice-Presidente de Investigação e Desenvolvimento da Hovione

O evento foi mais um passo no sentido do fortalecimento da ligação entre a NOVA e a Universidade de Lancaster que assinaram um Memorando de Entendimento em junho de 2018 tendo como objetivo a exploração de oportunidades para investigação colaborativa, iniciativas de ensino conjuntas e intercâmbio de conhecimento estratégico incluindo internacionalização, desenvolvimento de docentes e recrutamento de estudantes.

O “Research in Europe” foi o segundo evento inserido no ciclo de conferências de âmbito regional promovidas pelo NOVA In The Globe – Instituto para o Desenvolvimento Global, tendo sido precedido pelo “Research in Africa” em setembro.

Press release on the NOVA University website. To access the original, which includes photography fro the event, please click here. The Portuguese version can be found here.

On January 10 and 11, the Campolide campus hosted the “Research in Europe” event, organized by NOVA University Lisbon in partnership with Lancaster University.

In the opening session, the Rector of NOVA, Professor João Sàágua highlighted the importance of enhancing collaborative research opportunities by arguing that “it is clear that current top-level research can only be developed within relevant international networks, and supported by international funding. This meeting is an excellent opportunity to make this possible”.

Over the two-day event, participants and speakers from academia, business and politics shared their insights regarding potential scientific projects, the European research agenda and the future of collaborations between British and continental universities.

More than 60 researchers of NOVA and Lancaster worked together to either identify or stimulate the development of ideas for collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects. The researchers were distributed in five thematic sessions – Industry and Competitiveness, Innovative Solutions, Health Challenges & Policies, Societal Impact and Sustainability.

In his intervention, the Minister of Science Technology and Higher Education, Professor Manuel Heitor, stressed the desirable continuity of the joint work between Portugal and the United Kingdom, as well as its universities, regardless of the trajectory of the Brexit process.

This was, in fact, a common message conveyed by all those involved in the various panels.

The British Ambassador to Portugal, Chris Sainty, and Dr. Filipe Gaspar, Vice-President for Research and Development at Hovione, left their testimonies about the importance of partnerships such as the one existing between NOVA and Lancaster University.

Watch the videos:

– Chris Sainty, British Ambassador to Portugal

– Dr. Filipe Gaspar, Vice President of Research and Development at Hovione

The event was a step further towards strengthening the link between NOVA and Lancaster University which signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2018 with the objective of exploring opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalization, staff development and student recruitment.

“Research in Europe” was the second event in the regional conference cycle promoted by NOVA In The Globe – Institute for Global Development, and was preceded by “Research in Africa” which took place last October.