Elvira Fortunato
FCT-NOVA, Portugal
Short Bio
Elvira Fortunato has built a career marked by scientific,
academic, and political leadership, with recognized impact
at both national and international levels. Holding a PhD
in Microelectronics, she is a pioneer in the field of
transparent electronics and the inventor of the first
paper transistor. She is currently the most cited
researcher at NOVA University Lisbon. She has held
positions of high responsibility, most notably serving as
Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education,
where she promoted policies aimed at strengthening the
connection between science, higher education, and the
country's major societal challenges. She led structural
reforms, including the revision of the higher education
funding model, the creation of dedicated study places for
students from the lowest income bracket, and the launch of
the FCT-Tenure programme to promote stability in
scientific careers. She also coordinated the National
Semiconductor Strategy, positioning Portugal within the
framework of the European EU Chips Act programme. She
served as Vice-Rector of NOVA, with responsibility for
research, where she led a structural transformation of the
research support system. She created the Strategic Science
Council, launched NOVA Science magazine and NOVA Science
Day, and restructured the Research Support Office with a
focus on scientific strategy, project management, and
research information. During this period, she also stood
out for promoting gender equality, coordinating the SPEAR
project and establishing the Office for Equality and
Inclusion. She further served as Principal Scientific
Adviser to the European Commission, providing direct
advice to European Commissioners and coordinating
strategic studies on carbon capture technologies and
sustainable mobility within the framework of the EU
Scientific Advice Mechanism. On the scientific front, she
directed the Associate Laboratory i3N, a European
reference in advanced materials, sustainable electronics,
and nanotechnology, which has secured twelve ERC grants,
hundreds of international projects, and dozens of patents.
Under her leadership, i3N consolidated its position as
Portugal's leading institute in Advanced Materials Science
and Engineering and Nanotechnology, and pioneered the
creation of the first national doctoral programme in
Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences. Her career has been
recognized with more than 50 national and international
distinctions, including the Pessoa Prize, the European
Commission's Horizon Impact Award, the Human Rights Medal
of the Portuguese Parliament, and recognition as one of
the 27 most inspiring women in Europe by the French
Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Beyond
her scientific impact, she is an active advocate of
science education as a driver of social and economic
development, promoting STEM fields, gender equality, and
the training of new generations of scientists. She
regularly participates in international conferences,
forums, and science outreach initiatives, championing
science as a tool for inclusion, accessibility, and
sustainability. Her vision integrates research,
innovation, science policy, and civic engagement,
reflected in a career of real, transformative, and lasting
impact in service to society.
Sustainability
in electronics: from materials to devices
Abstract
The rapid expansion of electronic technologies, driven by
wearables, IoT systems, and large-area sensing, continues
to challenge global sustainability efforts. Electronic
waste has reached unprecedented levels, with 62 Mt
generated worldwide in 2022 and projections surpassing 82
Mt by 2030. This accelerating waste stream, combined with
the depletion of finite raw materials, underscores a
critical question: How can we sustain technological growth
while reducing environmental impact? A central part of the
solution lies in the development of sustainable electronic
materials and low-energy fabrication methods that break
away from conventional silicon-based, resource-intensive
manufacturing. Two promising and complementary research
directions are emerging: transparent amorphous oxide
electronics and laser-induced graphene (LIG) using for
example cellulose. Transparent amorphous oxide
semiconductors offer exceptional electronic performance,
mechanical flexibility, and, uniquely, optical
transparency. Their ability to be processed at low
temperatures enables high-mobility thin-film transistors
(TFTs), transparent circuits, and unobtrusive
optoelectronic systems. These materials also open doors
for paper-based and biodegradable electronics, where our
laboratory has been internationally recognized as a
pioneer, demonstrating fully functional devices on
renewable substrates. In parallel, laser-induced graphene,
produced through a single-step, maskless photothermal
process, provides an energy-efficient approach to generate
highly conductive carbon architectures directly on
bio-derived substrates such as cellulose, cork, and other
lignocellulosic materials. LIG avoids scarce metals,
minimizes process complexity, and enables digital,
on-demand manufacturing of conductive patterns for
sensors, energy devices, and biomedical platforms.
Importantly, because both precursor and substrate can be
biodegradable, LIG represents a realistic route to
circular electronics. This plenary talk will highlight how
transparent oxide electronics and green LIG materials can
converge to reshape the future of sustainable
technologies. By integrating advanced functionality,
high-mobility semiconductors, transparent conductors,
carbon-based electrodes, with renewable, low-impact
substrates, we demonstrate electronic devices that meet
performance requirements while drastically reducing
environmental footprint. Together, these strategies offer
a transformative vision: electronic systems that are not
only smarter and more efficient, but also sustainable,
recyclable, and aligned with global climate goals.
Tal Soffer
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Short Bio
Tal Soffer, Ph.D, a senior faculty member at the Gray
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and the School of
Education in Tel Aviv University. Director of the center
for Technology & Society Foresight and Digital Pedagogy
and the Head of the Digital Health MSc program. She has
extensive research experience of more than 30 years in the
field of Technology Foresight and its relations with
societal applications such as: Digital Health, Security,
Education and cyber technologies specialization in online
learning, Privacy and Ethics; and the Future of labor
market. With more than 60 projects over the years,
national and EU research grants as coordinator and PI.
Consulting to policymakers and a member of several
scientific committees. More than 150 publications in
scientific journals, EU research and conferences.
Engineering
the Socio-Technical Future: Foresight, Ethics, and
Responsible Innovation in the Age of Intelligent
Systems
Abstract
"We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us."
Marshall McLuhan's observation captures the defining
dynamic of the age of intelligent systems. Artificial
intelligence, digital infrastructures, and cyber-physical
systems are not merely advancing technological capability,
they are reorganizing how societies function. They
influence how institutions govern, how trust is built, how
labor is structured, and how opportunities are
distributed. Technological transformation is inseparable
from social transformation. This presentation examines how
technology foresight can support engineers and computing
professionals in navigating accelerating technological
transformation and its societal implications. Intelligent
systems are reshaping labor markets, redistributing
decision-making authority, redefining accountability, and
raising critical concerns about privacy, surveillance,
algorithmic bias, and digital inequality. Without
anticipatory approaches, technological acceleration risks
outpacing ethical reflection and regulatory adaptation.
Integrating foresight with ethics, privacy-by-design
principles, and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)
allows technological development to move beyond compliance
toward anticipatory responsibility. By exploring
alternative futures, identifying systemic risks, and
embedding ethical reflection early in research and design
processes, we can better align intelligent systems with
societal values such as fairness, resilience, democratic
accountability, and human autonomy. Engineering the
socio-technical future therefore requires not only
technical excellence, but ethical reflexivity and
strategic anticipation, ensuring that intelligent systems
strengthen societal trust and well-being rather than
amplify surveillance, exclusion, or inequality.
Khaled Benkrid
Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Short Bio
Dr. Khaled Benkrid has 25+ years' experience in higher
education teaching, research, and policy development.
Prior to joining Arm Ltd in 2013, he was a UK-based
academic for 13 years, teaching, researching, and leading
in various areas of computer science and electronics
engineering, particularly in high-performance embedded
computing and electronic design automation. Khaled
supervised 15+ successful PhD research projects during his
academic career and co/authored 100+ publications in major
international conferences and journals. He is now Visiting
Professor at the School of Computing and Information
Science, Anglia Ruskin University, UK.
Industry 5.0:
Technological, Socio-Economic, Environmental and Political
Projections
Abstract
The confluence of generative AI, robotics, IoT and human
creativity is transforming industry, and the way humans
live, work, and collaborate with machines. This keynote
will present the foundational technologies at the heart of
this transformation, demonstrate several exciting use
cases of Industry 5.0, and highlight socio-economic,
environmental and political projections of Industry 5.0,
positive and negative. The keynote will attempt to charter
a possible way forward that maximizes opportunity and
minimizes risk.