The IN3 + Prize organized by the National Press – Casa da Moeda (INCM) awarded one million euros to the winners to develop the projects submitted to the competition.
IDINA, by João Marco Silva from INESC-TEC, raised 600 thousand euros and the first place, with a tool to be applied in remote areas to solve the identification problems due to the lack of central systems. This solution aims to give the necessary authority to credible institutions, such as schools, health institutions, and local authorities to certify the birth and experience of citizens, events such as vaccination or admission to education. In some countries, the platform can serve to integrate or assume the role of authoritative registration, fulfilling the United Nations premise that it wants every citizen to obtain a valid identification card.
Second, with a prize of 250 thousand euros, was AICeBlock, from the Fraunhofer Portugal team led by André Carreiro. This initiative consists in the development of a platform, supported by blockchain, to foster confidence in basic applications in Artificial Intelligence through its certification. The solution allows you to interpret, track and audit the predictions of ‘smart’ models used in areas such as autonomous driving or computer diagnostics.
The podium was completed with HIGHLIGHT, which takes home 150,000 euros. The project of the Nano-Photonics team of Professor Manuel J. Mendes of Universidade Nova consists in the use of nanotechnology to develop a paint that allows the manipulation of light, giving the unique possibility of visible or invisible optical variation to the human eye. The product may be used in anti-counterfeiting mechanisms, for example, in documents or security seals.
The third edition of this test had 87 applications, an increase of 163% over the previous edition. In this edition, INCM intends to reinforce the focus on sustainability and has chosen to create a symbolic piece to mark the winners through a work of art made with waste materials from the production of factories, commissioned by the Portuguese artist Bordalo II.
