According to Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, Elvira Fortunato and Madalena Alves are the new representatives of the Portuguese State in the Council of the International Laboratory of Nanotechnology (INL). The Professors are replacing José Fernando Mendes and António Cunha, the latter recently elected president of the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission. The replacement takes place after more than eight years since the appointment of António Cunha and José Fernando Mendes to the Council of INL.

Elvira Fortunato and Madalena Alves are full professors at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade do Minho, respectively. Original article available here.

Rodrigo Martins, Professor and researcher in the Department of Materials Science, is the new President of IUMRS – International Union Materials Research Society, for the 2021-2022 biennium.

The professor becomes the first European and the first Portuguese to assume this position, after the change of the administration of the Society from the United States of America to Singapore. This society includes more than two hundred thousand members from 14 regional organisations in the field of Materials, such as China, Europe, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, India, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Africa, Russia.

SYNERGY co-coordinator, Professor Elvira Fortunato, was invited to talk about what happened in 2020 and how she sees it. Prof. Fortunato highlighted some people who, for some reason and despite the difficult context of the pandemic, had reasons to succeed and be happy in 2020. In her own case, having own the Impact 2020 Horizon Award from the European Commission for the creation of the first transparent screen with eco-sustainable materials, and the “Estreito de Magalhães” Award are enough reasons to celebrate. Read full article here.

Professor Elvira Fortunato, vice-rector of Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Director of CENIMAT – Centre for Materials Research and Professor in the Department of Materials Science, FCT, UNL gave an interview for Valor Magazine on how society, more than ever, requires us to think about a safer, healthier and more sustainable way of life, without global resource limitations, but always thinking about environmental preservation. Any type of sustainable development must be built based on the development of sustainable materials and technologies. Materials, more than being part of our ecosystem, are within us! Full article here.

Full Professor at the NOVA School of Science and Technology (FCT NOVA), Rodrigo Martins is one of the five prominent scientists appointed by the European Commission as members of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC).

The new members were selected by an independent Identification Committee, composed of six renowned scientists, appointed by the European Commission. The Independent Committee is chaired by Professor Carl-Henrik Heldin, who is also Chairman of the Board of the Nobel Foundation.

The scientific community was consulted during the selection process of the new members who will take office on January 1, 2021.  In addition to the Portuguese professor, the elected members are: Alice Valkárová, from the University of Prague; Nicola Spaldin, from the ETH Zurich; Dirk Inzé, from the University of Ghent and Liselotte Højgaard, from the University of Copenhagen.

Composed of 22 scientists and distinguished scholars representing the European scientific community, the ERC Scientific Council is an independent governing body. Its main function is to define the ERC strategy and select the peer review evaluators. It is chaired by the interim president of the ERC, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon.

The ERC, created by the European Union, is the leading European organization for funding excellent frontier research. Every year, it selects and funds the best researchers, of any nationality and age, to manage projects based in Europe. It offers four grants schemes: Initial, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy. In addition, the ERC supports researchers to establish bridges between their pioneering research and the early phases of its commercialization.

Materials engineer and researcher Elvira Fortunato, “mother” of the paper transistor and coordinator of the SYNERGY project, was distinguished on September 23^rd by the European Commission with the Horizon 2020 Impact Award, for creating the first transparent screen with eco-sustainable materials.

On Friday 11^th of December, in a plenary session, parliament unanimously approved this salutation vote, presented by the Education, Science, Youth and Sports Commission, noting that Elvira Fortunato “is one of the most prestigious and most awarded Portuguese scientists in the country “, being also” an example of citizenship”.

Read the full piece here on Notícias ao Minuto.

Elvira Fortunato, vice-rector of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and scientific advisor to the European Commission, is one of the most prestigious engineers in Portugal and abroad. Her work Invisible, in the area of transparent electronics, earned her the Horizon Impact Award this year.

But the challenges in the design and manufacture of new transistors and other electronic components do not end here. Many of its innovations include paper electronics and nanomaterials. And the results are in sight. In addition to a vast number of patents, Elvira Fortunato has worked in partnership with large national and multinational companies, such as Samsung, Merck, Hovione and Navigator.

A conversation not to be missed. Watch the full interview here.

What can help us in the future is available to anyone and whoever says it, is one of today´s most important scientist. For Elvira Fortunato, cooperation and sharing are essential.

Professor Elvira Fortunato participated in the 4^th interview of the 5 Great Things Talk series entitled: “4Leaders – Do Great Things”. The series highlights the achievements of 5 Portuguese leaders. According to Professor Elvira Fortunato, one of the most awarded national scientists ever, cooperation and sharing are critical to succeed and, therefore, those are the words she chooses to face the future.

Access to the article here.