Statutory rape laws are designed to protect children from the manipulation of adults into having sexual intercourse. However, in Malaysia, statutory rape laws are applied even on male adolescents who are close in age with their female partners. This is problematic because applying these laws into male children will criminalize their normative sexual behaviors which has long-lasting damaging effects. In addition, the perception of the criminal justice personnel on sexual behaviors of children also cements the blanket applications of statutory rape laws onto every case involving female children. To reform the use of statutory rape laws in Malaysia, data on the sexual relations between close-in-age partners and adult-child partners are needed. This study has three research objectives. First, I aim to explore the perception of the criminal justice system personnel (i.e., prosecutors, police officers and probation officers) towards the implementation of statutory rape laws on adolescents in Malaysia. Second, I would like to investigate the psychosocial characteristics (sexual and antisocial dimensions) of sexual relations involving two close-in-age children in comparison with sexual relations involving adults and children. Lastly, I aim to explore the psychosocial-cultural motivations behind the pursuance of sexual relationships among Asian adolescents. The design of the proposed study will be a mixed design, employing both quantitative (to achieve research objective 2) and qualitative (to achieve research objective 1 and 3). For the quantitative part of the study, a hypothesis will be tested which is: Close-in-age sexual partners differ in terms of psychosocial characteristics compared to adult-child sexual partners. This will be tested using a binary logistic regression. Then, I will employ a thematic analysis to find out the patterns from the responses. The findings of this project will be disseminated through two journal articles and a conference attendance.

The BluWine project will encompass the entire wine production chain through a Blue Economy approach, where the vineyard, winemaking process, winery, and its residuals will be interactively linked and strengthened as part of a sustainable strategy. The wine industry is an important sector contributing to the economies of many countries, especially in Europe, which has a long history of wine production, as well as in emerging wine-producing regions in Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania. From a global perspective, the collaboration of productive forces from different countries can be mutually beneficial. With a strong focus on environmental respect and sustainability, the BluWine project will be a collective effort to drive innovation in viticulture, winemaking, and winery operations, as well as in the management of its residuals. This will include improving grape resistance, managing wine ethanol content, recovering carbon dioxide, optimizing water usage, and recycling grape pomace, among other initiatives. The project will evaluate both the economic and environmental impacts, conducting a thorough analysis of barriers and socioeconomic drivers for successful implementation. The ultimate goal of the BluWine project is to ensure the control and maintenance of wine quality, which will be achieved by creating a new network dedicated to applying the Blue Economy in the wine industry. This will be supported through a strategic staff exchange program, bringing together both early-career and experienced researchers with expertise relevant to the BluWine project. Through this exchange, skills and knowledge will be shared across the Consortium. The project is organized into nine work packages, to be completed over four years, involving 13 ESRs (8 ESRs to be enrolled) and 50 ERs, for a total of 140 months of staff secondments. This will provide training in an international setting, further enhancing the skills and expertise of the participants.

Although among the top 10 Portuguese universities with higher number of top quality scientific papers published, and despite the growing attractiveness that it has been gaining in terms of research and teaching, UTAD is still far from the European high performing R&D institutions. Thus, the Clim4Vitis project aims at enhancing UTAD’s S&T capacity, as well as raising its staff’s research profile, specially focusing one of the fields of research in which the University has become a national reference: viticulture. Within this broad area, particular attention should be given to two main lines of research: 1) grapevine modelling and 2) tools for assessing climate change impacts on European viticulture, in general, and on grapevine productivity, quality attributes and risk of diseases and pests in particular. In order to boost competences in these topics, the project gathers 5 international partners (1 university from a Widening country, 3 internationally-leading research institutions, and an international consultancy & training company). The 3 internationally-leading research institutions are from the same field of study, but with complementary skills. The implementation of several twinning activities (thematic workshops, staff exchange, short courses, thematic seminars, webinars, conferences, among others) will enable the access to systematized knowledge and cutting edge-technology, as well as the knowledge and technology transfer between the high performing partners and the UTAD. Clim4Vitis is based on an integrated approach, which envisages the effective internationalization of the University, through extensive networking, dissemination and the establishment of long-term transnational cooperation relationships with world-leading R&D institutions. Furthermore, the project actively contributes to the sustainability of UTAD, once it also foresees the increase of contracts with business partners and stakeholders.

SMARTOLIVE aims to revolutionize olive production and processing through precision agriculture and digital innovation, enhancing sustainability and competitiveness. The project will integrate proximal and remote sensing technologies with AI-driven decision support systems (DSS) to optimize water and nutrient management, improve productivity, and enhance tree health. Smart traceability technologies will provide full transparency from orchard to bottle, strengthening consumer trust and market value. The main objectives include: (1) developing a multi-sensor framework to monitor tree water and nutrient status in real time, (2) implementing AI models to optimize orchard management strategies such as irrigation, nutrient application, fruit maturity assessment, and smart pruning, (3) establishing a blockchain-enabled system for smart traceability, and (4) validating these solutions through field trials for scalability and real-world applicability. The project will leverage a multidisciplinary consortium of academic institutions, industry partners, and agribusiness cooperatives, including key stakeholders from Argentina. This partnership aims to facilitate knowledge transfer and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in both European and low- and middle-income countries . Data from on-tree sensors, UAV imagery, and satellite remote sensing will feed predictive models to deliver actionable insights, promoting resource efficiency and climate resilience. The smart labeling system will provide consumers with authenticated information on product origin and quality. SMARTOLIVE aligns with Horizon Europe priorities on sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, and digital transformation, supporting SDGs such as Zero Hunger, Industry and Innovation, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.