INESC TEC Statement

09th May 2024

Following the latest news regarding the connection between the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC) and Israeli organisations, INESC TEC would like to state the following:

INESC TEC focuses on research in emergency response, towards acting during natural disasters or forest fires – and our work in terms of communications is quite relevant.

In this sense, INESC TEC participated (2019-2022) in a European research project – ResponDrone -, concluded two years ago; this endeavour featured 21 entities from 13 countries, led by the German Space Agency, and focused on R&D of integrated solutions to address emergency situations using drones, thus advancing the communications domain. The consortium involved organisations from 11 European countries, Israel and South Korea.

The research project aimed to improve the response to natural disasters, and it will allow first-response teams to support populations quickly, effectively and efficiently; it did not, however, focus on any application in the military domain (here). In fact, the European Horizon 2020 programme, which funded the project, explicitly excluded projects aimed at application in the military area.

The results of INESC TEC's participation in the ResponDrone project relate to software research, enabling the creation of emergency communication networks at response sites, with no contribution to specific drone hardware or software. Said research results are the property of INESC TEC, are not licensed to third parties and the underlying scientific results are all published in international scientific papers, integrating a broader line of previous and subsequent publications, within the scope of other research projects and activities. INESC TEC fostered concrete collaborations with partners from European countries within the scope of this project, and the final demonstration took place in Spain.

The formal framework for carrying out European projects is extremely strict, and INESC TEC complies with all the necessary requirements.

INESC TEC complies with thorough ethical and deontological principles, part of the institutional values, as well as to major frameworks like the UN Global Compact and the European Charter for Researchers - as established in the INESC TEC Code of Ethics, entrusted to the institution's Ethics Committee.

Today, as in its 39-years history, INESC TEC remains committed to creating a future of achievements and sustainability through science, technology and innovation with impact.