INESC‑ID and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC) of Instituto Superior Técnico marked the Dia da Energia (Energy Day) 2026 with a full program at the Técnico Innovation Center (TIC), alongside the inauguration of the new Energy Dream Lab.

The day opened with the launch of the joint INESC‑ID and Técnico lab, featuring a strong INESC‑ID presence. The ceremony began with remarks from Hugo Morais, INESC‑ID researcher and coordinator of several energy projects, followed by contributions from Pedro Carvalho, coordinator of INESC‑ID’s Energy Transition thematic line, and Pedro Costa, INESC‑ID researcher. The session also included interventions from Nuno Horta, president of DEEC, and Pedro Amaral, vice‑president for corporate interface, innovation, and entrepreneurship at Técnico. Inês Lynce, president of INESC‑ID’s Board of Directors, Sérgio Pequito, DEEC vice‑president for research and external relations, Sílvia Castro, head of the Innovation Management Office (IMO), and Sandra Aresta, Knowledge Transfer Manager at INESC‑ID, were also in attendance.

Located in Técnico’s Electricity Pavilion, the advanced research and testing infrastructure was developed with the support of the Alliance for Energy Transition (ATE) and is expected to support projects such as EV4EU, AHEAD, SHIFT2DC, U2Demo, PVSmile, and SOLAR-MOVE. Furthermore, the lab represents an upgrade on learning conditions for more than 250 students per year and a platform to strengthen collaboration with companies, bridging the gap between research and industry.

Over at TIC, the event continued with a keynote by Jean Barroca, Secretary of State for Energy who emphasised the importance of power grid resilience, energy availability and sustained investment in infrastructure and storage, alongside research. Three debate panels followed. “Storage Market”, explored energy storage solutions in the context of a rising energy demand. The second, “Resilience and the Power Grid”, featured Pedro Carvalho who highlighted that electrical resilience has long been central to system development and that new metrics are essential to improve grid resilience. Finally, the third panel, “Smart Cities and Smart Grids” included Hugo Morais, who emphasised the key role of integrating electric mobility and flexibility services, a matter illustrated by projects like EV4EU.

The day concluded with the ceremonies of the Engenheiro Ivo Gonçalves Merit Award and the Professor Sucena Paiva Award, followed by a final overview of the newly inaugurated Energy Dream Lab by Hugo Morais and Pedro Costa, and closing remarks by Rogério Colaço, president of Técnico.

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Images: © 2026 DEEC / Instituto Superior Técnico