Challenges and Integration
Project for International Cooperation
URBAN ENVIRONMENT TODAY AND TOMORROW: CHALLENGES AND INTEGRATION
Start date: 01/08/2018
End date: 30/06/2022
Description
The theme “Urban Environment” brings great challenges to the three programs involved due to its multidisciplinary aspect. Many of these challenges require a new view about science, and how to integrate knowledge, in order to improve the quality of life of citizens. As a simple example of integration, we can mention the concentration of particles of pollution in the atmosphere and its relation with respiratory diseases in children. Such study requires the monitoring of atmospheric parameters, a network of communication for gathering data in real time, chemical analysis of these parameters and compilation of a great amount of data obtained in the field. This problem is directly connected to the flow of vehicles, to the aspects of urban mobility and existing economic activities. In a traditional way, these problems are individually treated and, as a consequence, a great amount of information is neglected, which can lead to wrong conclusions about causes and effects. Our challenge is to integrate, using the experience of each graduate program, all this knowledge and contribute, in a significant way, for economic and social development. Such challenge requires not only the maintenance of previously established international partnerships, but also the constant search for new partners. Incoming and outgoing mobility of students, professors and researchers is fundamental for the success of this project. Besides the work missions, sandwich doctoral degrees and periods for professor training, we also plan to offer workshops with the participation of our researchers and professors (and foreign ones). Thus, this cooperation project will include the specific research projects developed in cooperation in the research lines of graduate programs, focused on the development and analysis of new technologies, which contribute to the building of more intelligent, efficient, resilient and sustainable cities. Initially the focus is on the existing interactions and collaboration with international partners, but with the accomplishment of the integration workshops, proposed for the development of this project, one expects to establish integration among the graduate programs, and a multidisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach for the scientific problems related to the theme.
