The 3rd Conference on “Artificial Intelligence: Crossed Perspectives on Ethics, Law and Technology” took place on 17 March in an online format, bringing together experts from various fields to reflect on the ethical, legal, and social challenges posed by artificial intelligence. The event, organised by the Ethics Forum of Católica Porto Business School, was held in collaboration with the Faculty of Biotechnology , the Faculty of Law of Porto, and the School of Education and Psychology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP).

The opening session was led by the dean of Católica Porto Business School, João Pinto, and the Coordinator of the Ethics Forum, Helena Gonçalves, who introduced the Executive Course Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, under which the conference was held. This was followed by interventions from Nídia Moreira (member of the UCP Research group on law and artificial intelligence), who addressed the weaknesses of the European AI Regulation concerning fundamental rights; Pedro Miguel Rodrigues (professor and researcher at UCP's Faculty of Biotechnology), who reflected on the role of users in the modern technological era; and Mariana Barbosa (professor and researcher at UCP’s Research Centre for Human Development), who highlighted the implications of AI for human rights and digital ethics.

The event also featured a roundtable discussion moderated by Alberto Castro, Non-Executive Director of the Consulting Unit in Management and Applied Economics - CEGEA at Católica Porto Business School. The three speakers shared different perspectives on balancing technological innovation with ethical responsibility, fostering a thought-provoking debate between academia and society on the need for regulation and critical thinking in the face of AI’s rapid advancement.

The closing remarks were delivered by Susana Magalhães, Head of the Research Integrity Office at i3S and lecturer in Bioethics, who reinforced the importance of keeping ethics at the heart of digital transformation. Once again, the conference highlighted the role of Católica Porto Business School in promoting a broad and multidisciplinary dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence, preparing future leaders for the responsible management of technology.

Universidade Católica Portuguesa has been honoured at the prestigious T4EU Awards, which recognise pedagogical innovation and the implementation of innovative solutions within the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance.

In the ‘Digital Learning Technologies’ category, the ‘Journalist meets Translator in the EFL/Translation Classroom’ project was recognised. Coordinated by Jane Duarte, a professor at Católica's Faculty of Human Sciences, the initiative's main objective is to promote interaction between journalism and translation, fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between language and representation in news production.

Through critical analysis of news texts, translation/post-editing and rewriting exercises, students develop linguistic and discursive skills in English, as well as their digital literacy. In a context marked by disinformation, fake news and artificial intelligence, this project sensitises students to the crucial role of journalists and translators as ‘guardians of information’.

‘Our Católica: A New Way of Working and Connecting’ was also honoured with the T4EU Non-Academic Staff Award in the “Outstanding solutions within the institutions” category. Developed under the leadership of Ana Ortigão Sampaio, Director of Human Resources at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, this initiative aims to strengthen well-being, a sense of belonging and the digitalisation of institutional processes.

The innovative application promotes the sharing of relevant information through news, professional development content, interviews and articles about the various teams at Católica, access to benefits as well as the celebration of anniversaries and years of service, among other events.

‘Our Católica’ thus reinforces the University's commitment to its academic community, creating an environment of proximity in an increasingly digital context.

Also worth mentioning is the T4EU Teaching Qualification Certificate, which aims to recognise teachers who demonstrate teaching excellence and embody the values of the T4EU alliance: inclusion, sustainability and international collaboration. In this first edition, six professors from the Universidade Católica received this distinction:

• Eva Oliveira (Católica Porto Business School)
• António Andrade (Católica Porto Business School)
• Diana Mesquita (Faculty of Education and Psycholog)
• Maria José Serol (Faculty of Dental Medicine)
• Pedro Alves (School of the Arts)
• Anabela Santos Rodrigues (Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences)

Diana Soares, coordinator of CLIL (Católica Learning Innovation Lab), played a key role in the implementation of these initiatives, actively contributing as a Católica expert in the Open Learning Hub of the T4EU alliance.

The awards will be officially presented during the international conference "Enhancing Professional Excellence: Synergy of Academic and Non-Academic Staff", at the Vitaltus Magnus University in Lithuania, between 9 and 11 April.

Diana Soares, Maitê Gil e Rita Tavares de Sousa will be taking part in this event, representing the Universidade Católica.

This event will be an opportunity to share good practices and strengthen co-operation between the institutions of the Transform4Europe alliance, with Catolica playing a central role in the discussion on academic and institutional innovation.

“Research Data Sharing as Part of Open Science Communication” and “Effective Science Communication with Social Media” are the topic of the two webinars Transform4Europe is organizing.

The aim of these workshops is to enhance science communication skills among students, researchers, and faculty members across the Transform4Europe Alliance.

Both workshops will be held via Zoom. Participants who complete the workshop will receive a certificate of attendance issued by T4EU.

On April 10, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CEST, Ana Slavec, from the University of Primorska will present the session “Research Data Sharing as Part of Open Science Communication",  which explores effective research data sharing, covering repositories, visibility strategies, and ethical considerations.

Participants will learn FAIR data principles, licensing, and compliance to maximize transparency, accessibility, and impact, ensuring their research contributes meaningfully to Open Science and diverse audiences.

The second workshop will take place on April 22, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CEST,  with trainers Karin Marinič,  from the University of Primorska, and Amy Simmons, from the University of Primorska.

This workshop, aimed at Academic staff, researchers and PhD students will discuss practical ways to create engaging and accessible science communication.

Apply here  More information

For additional information please contact sanja.sandic@upr.si

“Universities are places that defend truth under any circumstances”, declared Isabel Capeloa Gil, President of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Following this lead, the university hosted the conference dedicated to the topic of “Truth in the Age of Disinformation”, on March 24.

According to the President of Católica, “disinformation starts with the manipulation of language”, hence, the importance of how we use language. “Fact based science is vital to our common house”.

That is why the university must be a “safe space physically, but an unsafe intellectually, because we want different perspectives to be able to engage.”

Élise Racicot, Canadian Ambassador to Portugal, and President of AWA, also recognized the importance and urgency of this debate, as “It’s a universal truth that disinformation impacts our democracies”.

Nelson Ribeiro, Vice-Rector of Universidade Católica, also highlighted the fundamental role information plays in every regime. “Used to mold people’s reality, influencing how citizens vote and how they accept policies that go against their own interests and those of their communities”.

The professor recalled how 2 decades ago “we were promised a more transparent world”, yet “not only has social media not led to the expansion of democracy”, as today social media is now a platform for the weaponization of history”.

Acknowledging this reality, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, offered some reflections and actions regarding the future.

“We need to define collective responses” to contradict disinformation, and this necessarily means we will need to mobilize the European union and other democratic allies “to study and shield democracy”.

The path to a free and sustainable use of digital platforms, also requires the promotion of “digital literacy”. In the media, we will need to “guarantee the conditions for free and strong journalism”

Finally, besides acknowledging and regulating “the limits of IA use”, we need to “design public policies that protect societies whilst maintaining freedom of speech”.

The conference, organized by the Association of Women Ambassadors and Universidade Católica Portuguesa, explored the impact of disinformation on democracies, including the growing effects of AI and technology, with the participation of the speakers, Alina Bargoanu, Member of the Advisory Board of the European Digital Media Observatory, Jeta Xharra, Director of the Office of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Simon Thibault, University of Montreal and Shenglan Zhou, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

The second panel, composed by Minna-Liina Lind, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Kucherenko, Director of Russian Studies, Analytical Department, Come Back Alive Initiatives Centre, Pedro Calado, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Jessica Roberts, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, presented possible solutions and stategies on to tackle the growth of disinformation.

Learn more

The CESOP - Universidade Católica projection for RTP, on the day of the Elections for the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, gave the PSD between 41 and 46 per cent of the votes (21 to 24 deputies), placing it on the threshold of an absolute majority.

For the first time, the JPP comes second with 18% to 22% of the vote (9 to 12 deputies), while the PS gets between 14% and 18% of the vote (7 to 10 deputies).  Next comes Chega, with 4 to 7 per cent of the vote (2 to 4 MPs) and CDS with 1 to 4 per cent of the vote (0 to 4 MPs).  IL has between 1 and 4 per cent of the vote (0 to 2 MPs) and gives PAN and CDU between 1 and 3 per cent of the vote (0 to 1 MP). According to this projection, the BE has 1 to 2 per cent of the vote (0 to 1 MP).

This poll was carried out by the Centre for Studies and Opinion Polls of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa for RTP on 23 March 2025. The target universe is made up of voters in the election for the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Fifteen parishes in the Autonomous Region of Madeira were selected in order to ensure that the average electoral results of the last elections in that group of parishes (weighted by the electoral weight of each parish) were less than 1 percentage point away from the results of the five most voted candidates in each election.

Respondents were randomly selected as they left their polling stations and asked to cast a ballot in a simulated ballot box by a specialised team of 68 interviewers. A total of 12831 valid surveys were obtained. The response rate was 70 per cent.

According to the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Administration, 142,960 voters out of 255,380 registered voted in these elections, with the official count of the 54 parishes finalised at 21:30. The PSD won the election with 43.43 per cent of the vote (23 deputies), the JPP won 21.05 per cent of the vote (11 deputies), the PS won 15.64 per cent of the vote (8 deputies), Chega won 5.47 per cent of the vote (3 deputies) and the CDS-PP and IL elected 1 deputy, respectively, with 3 per cent of the vote and 2.17 per cent of the vote.

João António, director of CESOP and head of political polling at the Universidade Católica, commented on the results in the special broadcast Regional Elections 2025 - Election Night - on RTP 3 and RTP Madeira.

24 March is National Student Day, a date that, at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, is celebrated through the achievements of its students.

Inês Pinheiro, a student at the Braga Regional Centre, has dedicated her academic life to the study of social action and now, as part of her master's degree, she is specialising in Applied Social Gerontology.

Throughout this journey, he is particularly proud of the ‘creation of the “Ser Social” Student Commission’, and the participation ‘in the  “Ser Cuidadoso” project’, winner of the Uniservitate 2024 Prize in the Southern European region.

This prestigious award aims to recognise the best Service Learning initiatives in Catholic Higher Education, highlighting projects that combine academic excellence with community action in response to real social problems.

Already in Lisbon, at the Head Office, Helena Carmo represents a story of overcoming and pioneering spirit. She is the first deaf person to do a doctorate at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the second in Portugal.

With this transformative experience, she realised "that she could overcome barriers", an achievement that brings her "great satisfaction", but which she believes is not just hers, as it gives visibility to the deaf community. "It gives society another perspective when looking at deaf people".

With an altruistic and adventurous spirit, Maria Francisca Bento, a Dental Medicine student at Católica's Viseu Campus, highlights her participation in the FLY international volunteering and mentoring project as her greatest achievement.

"This experience has been a real adventure, where I've learnt to understand the world better and become even more certain that small actions can make a difference when it comes to building a better and more supportive world", she recalls of volunteering with Cáritas Diocesana de Madrid.

Happy National Student Day to everyone and may you continue to pursue your dreams.