Aveiro region wins 5G+IA laboratory

24 November, 2021

The University of Aveiro (UA), the Institute of Telecommunications (IT) and Huawei have inaugurated a laboratory that will allow the development and testing of new tools based on 5G and AI, which is seen as an asset for the region and also for the training of a new generation of engineers, especially in the field of wireless digital society.

Inaugurated last 16 November, the new 5G+AI lab was born from a partnership signed in July 2020. The aim of this unit is to promote the development of Research & Development (R&D) activities in the areas of fifth-generation mobile networks and Artificial Intelligence.

According to Paulo Jorge Ferreira, rector of the UA, the laboratory will be “invaluable for the advancement of research, for the enrichment of our post-graduate training and for the international affirmation of the UA and IT”. For the responsible, the partnership is relevant not only for the university, but also for the region, focusing on industry innovation and society’s digital transition, and with the laboratory affirming itself as “a step in the right direction – looking to the future”.

José Carlos Pedro, professor at the UA and president of the IT Management Committee, emphasizes that the 5GAlner laboratory will allow placing the UA in a set of “research units, worldwide, with access to such state-of-the-art scientific research instruments”, allowing it to fulfill even better its mission at the service of the community.

Manuel Heitor, Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, cited in a statement, stresses that “it is of strategic interest to Portugal to benefit from the know-how of the University of
Aveiro and IT to create an experimental field in the area of telecommunications”. The initiative is affirmed as a “relevant project for future generations”.

Tony Li, CEO of Huawei Portugal, was also present at the inauguration of the laboratory, underlining the need to work together “to develop new models in the digital ecosystem”, highlighting that the investment in the initiative will create “a skills’ hub in the region”.

5GAIner is based in IT, but its range of action covers other areas of the region, including the Port of Aveiro and factories installed in the locality, such as the case of Bosch Termotecnologia, where tests are already underway at the level of flexible production systems and in location control.

“The digital transition requires continuous exploration and experimentation of new solutions for the different sectors, ideally in collaborations involving industry, academia and society”, says chancellor Paulo Jorge Ferreira. Additionally, the president of IT highlights that “the partnership underway will benefit the community and foster the creation of added value and competitiveness of companies, through the creation of scientific knowledge, sharing of new experiences and the design of innovative business models.”