UIDB/00760/2020

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes GECAD - Research Group on Intelligent Engineering and Computing for Advanced Innovation and Development - conceives and implements intelligent models and solutions to deal with complex real world problems. Incorporating intelligence in engineering and computing systems, GECAD produces its most relevant contributions in Energy smart grids, renewables, demand response and energy markets and in Ambient Intelligence. Solutions for Industry, Cities, Security, and Tourism are also relevant GECAD outcomes. GECAD expertise, namely in Artificial Intelligence, Ambient Intelligence, Affective Computing, Decision Support, Smart Grids, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, Demand Response, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Internet-of-Things, is bringing substantial added value to daily life and businesses, with a strong social and economic potential. Today world is already taking advantage of the available large amounts of data and adopting Artificial Intelligence solutions, enabled by Machine Learning and Data Analytics, in most of the fields. GECAD will combine the Data-driven approach, using approaches as Clustering, Deep Learning, and Reinforced Learning, with Cognitive and Knowledge-based approaches, able to make intelligent systems wiser by acquiring, using and enlarging human knowledge which is usable even in never previously occurred or anticipated situations and contexts. In this way, GECAD will shape the advance and application of Knowledge. Enabling easier and more effective interaction and collaboration between Humans and Intelligent Systems, GECAD will ensure a user-centric approach, providing a more intelligent and more adaptive world to people. GECAD proven expertise and concrete achievements in the production of new models and intelligent systems will ensure its regular, distinguished participation in important international and national consortia, projects, and events, and its coordination of several international and intercontinental projects for 2018-2022. GECAD will continue to play a very relevant role in the Advanced Training of PhD students, post-docs and senior researchers for which Marie Curie Actions are being of upmost importance. GECAD will provide engineering, computing, and multidisciplinary research projects and activities opportunities to young, undergraduate, bachelor, master, and vocational education students. For the period 2018-2022 GECAD will involve more than 100 under graduate and graduate students and senior researchers stays, and will collaborate with more than 150 companies and other academic and research institutions in national, European, and intercontinental projects. GECAD will provide a dynamic, multi-cultural environment for the effective and secure advancement of intelligent systems of the future. . 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation GECAD scientific agenda is focused on contributing, at the world level, to the excellence and to the effective and quick advancement of the state of the art of Intelligent Systems that can deal with complex real world problems. During 2018-2022, GECAD expertise, namely in Artificial Intelligence, Ambient Intelligence, Affective Computing, Decision Support, Smart Grids, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, Demand Response, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Internet-of-Things, will be used to take significant steps in intelligent systems, namely in their performance, in their adaption to the reality and to particular contexts, and in their adaptation to the natural and harmonious co-habitation and collaboration with people. Those advances will be done with strong scientific and technologic basis targeting complex application problems in fields like Energy, Industry, Cities, and Tourism. GECAD will contribute with new concepts, models, and implementations to changes that will strongly shape the advance and application of Knowledge. In a world that is already adopting Artificial Intelligence solutions, based on large amounts of data, the evolution of areas like Machine Learning and Data Analytics is natural. Current evident advantages of those Data-driven approaches are, however, only a small part of the potential of Artificial Intelligence for providing people with a more intelligent and friendly world. During 2018-2022, GECAD will deeply address the combination of Data-driven with Cognitive and Knowledge-based approaches in order to achieve increased Intelligence in complex engineering and computing systems from different fields e.g. Energy, Environment, Cities, Industry, Tourism with insights from current advances in areas like Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Ambient Assisted Living. Cognitive and Knowledge-based approaches ensure that the systems are not only able to deal with problems and situations for which knowledge can be extracted from existing data but additionally ensure that the existing Human Knowledge can be extensively used to deal with unexpected, unknown situations, which never happened before, but for which the human intelligence can anticipate solutions. GECAD research will also deal with the evolution of the application areas, conceiving and developing new models and methods to represent and manage the available components and systems, in technical and business terms. Regarding the Power and Energy area, storage, electric vehicles, demand response, aggregators, and local markets will be in the center of the research activities. Regarding Ambient Intelligence the focus will be on cognitive computing to promote behavior prediction so as to provide users in different applications areas e.g. Tourism, Health, Industry with a better and more adaptive assistance and to enable soft automation of processes, addressing the ethical, legal and social implications. Excellence in the advance and application of Knowledge is envisaged by GECAD, with focus on the core excellence and an outstanding balance quantity-quality. Top-level international projects with a coherent global approach and publishing of models and results in top-level scientific journals are objectives for 2018-2022. GECAD expertise and contributions have positioned it as a desired partner and will ensure GECAD participation in important international consortia, projects, and events. For 2018-2022 GECAD will collaborate with more than 150 companies and other academic and research institutions in national, European, and intercontinental projects. As a result, GECAD strengths its scientific expertise and its worldwide, multicultural vision, enabling relevant contributions at the international and at the local and regional levels. GECAD will focus on the transformation of the knowledge created from R&D projects into innovative products and services, giving origin to spin-offs or knowledge transfer to companies. Following the success in intercontinental projects, GECAD will create at least one GECAD pole outside Europe during 2018-2022, starting with Brazil, due to GECAD strong connection with 2 Brazilian Ministries and with the Poles of cooperation Academia-Industry. Advanced Training is also a focus for GECAD. Additional protocols with Universities will be established, attracting more PhD students to develop their work in GECAD. Summer Schools and new Marie Curie Actions for the mobility and training of researchers will also be intensified. The integration of Young Students will continue to be promoted, involving BSc, MSc, and VET students in research projects and activities, in GECAD and abroad e.g. LAPASSION project will support 84 students. During 2018-2022 GECAD will involve more than 100 under graduate and graduate students and senior researchers in those activities. GECAD outcomes will be disseminated with high impact in the academic, research and professional communities. GECAD will produce toolkits, platforms, and materials to help in the promotion of its focus scientific fields, in order to attract students from different levels. Exhibitions, challenges, hackathons, and other new formats will be developed during 2018-2022. GECAD will organize at least 15 high-quality scientific events in 2018-2022. GECAD will reinforce its work towards Open Science, namely by leading the Open Data Sets initiative of IEEE PES, promoting and contributing for making additional datasets available for the scientific and professional communities. GECAD communication actions will address some particular areas with a strong impact on the Society, namely the need to adapt the Society and professions for the enormous impact of AI and the public awareness of the importance of Energy for the World Sustainability. GECAD will also promote at least one project for developing products and services related with culture and arts jointly with the Porto Design Factory, which has expertise in this type of projects. O GECAD - Grupo de Investigação em Engenharia e Computação Inteligente para a Inovação e o Desenvolvimento - concebe e implementa modelos e soluções inteligentes para problemas reais complexos. Incorporando inteligência em sistemas de engenharia e de computação, o GECAD produz as suas contribuições mais relevantes na área da Energia Redes Elétricas Inteligentes, Energias Renováveis, Resposta dos Consumidores e Mercados de Eletricidade. O GECAD tem também resultados relevantes em aplicações para a Indústria, Cidades, Segurança e Turismo. As competências do GECAD, nomeadamente em Inteligência Artificial, Ambientes Inteligentes, Computação Afetiva, Apoio à Decisão, Redes Elétricas Inteligentes, Eficiência Energética e Sustentabilidade, Resposta dos Consumidores, Sistemas Ciber-Físicos e Internet das Coisas, trazem um valor acrescentado substancial à vida quotidiana e aos negócios, com um grande potencial de impacto social e económico. As vantagens da utilização de soluções de Inteligência Artificial, baseadas em aprendizagem automática e análise de dados, para tratar os grandes volumes de dados existentes, já são atualmente evidentes em muitas áreas de aplicação. O GECAD vai combinar estas abordagens baseadas em dados, utilizando Clustering, Deep Learning, e Aprendizagem por Reforço, com abordagens baseadas em conhecimento, permitindo aumentar a inteligência dos sistemas inteligentes, através da aquisição, utilização e extensão de conhecimento humano, o qual é utilizável mesmo em situações e contextos cuja ocorrência nunca se verificou nem foi considerada. Ao viabilizar uma interação e colaboração mais fáceis e eficazes entre as pessoas e os sistemas inteligentes, o GECAD assegurará uma abordagem centrada nos utilizadores viabilizando um mundo mais inteligente e mais adaptativo às pessoas. No período 2018-2022 a competência e os resultados concretos do GECAD na produção de novos modelos e sistemas inteligentes continuarão a justificar a sua participação regular em importantes consórcios, projetos e eventos a nível nacional e internacional, incluindo a coordenação de projetos internacionais e intercontinentais. O GECAD continuará a ter um papel muito relevante no treino avançado de estudantes de doutoramento e de pós-doutoramento e de investigadores séniores, para o qual as ações Marie Curie em que está envolvido são de grande importância. Continuará também a fornecer oportunidades de estágios, projetos e outras atividades de investigação em engenharia, computação e multidisciplinares a jovens estudantes, incluindo os do ensino não superior, superior e profissional. No período 2018-2022, o GECAD envolverá mais de 100 estudantes nas suas atividades e colaborará com mais de 150 empresas e instituições académicas e de investigação em projetos a nível nacional, europeu e intercontinental. O GECAD proporcionará, assim, um ambiente dinâmico e multicultural para o avanço seguro e eficaz dos sistemas inteligentes do futuro. .