i3S 10th Anniversary – Official Session
Celebrating Science, Building the Future
Date: 19 May 2026
Location: i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
Over the past decade, i3S has established itself as one of Portugal’s leading research institutions in the life and health sciences, making a decisive contribution to the advancement of scientific knowledge, the training of new generations of researchers, and the strengthening of the link between science and society.
This commemorative session marks not only a journey of scientific achievement but also a renewed ambition for the future. Against a backdrop of growing global challenges – from health to climate change, from technological transformation to social cohesion – it is essential to reaffirm the role of knowledge, critical thinking and fundamental research as pillars of sustainable development.
Bringing together institutional representatives, scientists and politicians, this session provides an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of science to society and on Portugal’s position within the European and international landscape of health research and innovation.
As part of the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of i3S, this session affirms the institute’s commitment to science of excellence—open, collaborative and citizen-oriented—capable of responding to the challenges of the present and anticipating the needs of the future.
Language: Session in Portuguese
Registration: Institutional session, by invitation only
Venue
i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto
Address: Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Program
Preliminary Program
10h00 – 13h00 Morning session
Intervenções confirmadas
Cláudio Sunkel, i3S Director
Fernando Alexandre, Minister for Education, Science and Innovation, Portugal
António de Sousa Pereira, Rector of the University of Porto, Portugal
Pedro Conceição, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Carmo Fonseca, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon & Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Portugal
Speakers
Claudio Sunkel
i3S Director
Claudio Sunkel is Director of the i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health and Professor of Molecular Biology at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto. He also leads the Molecular Genetics Group, focusing on cell division and the mechanisms that maintain genomic stability in higher eukaryotes.
Born in Santiago, Chile, he obtained a degree in Biology and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Sussex. After postdoctoral research at Imperial College London, he established his research career in Porto, publishing over 100 peer-reviewed articles and supervising numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.
Sunkel has held several prominent international leadership roles, including membership of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, Vice-Presidency of the European Molecular Biology Conference and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Council, and Chair of the EMBL Council.
Fernando Alexandre
Minister for Education, Science and Innovation, Portugal
Fernando Alexandre has been Portugal’s Minister of Education, Science and Innovation since 2024, serving in the XXIV Constitutional Government. He holds a PhD in Economics from Birkbeck, University of London and is Professor at the University of Minho, where he previously served as Pro-Rector, Director of the School of Economics and Management, and Head of the Department of Economics. He served as Secretary of State in the Portuguese Government (2013–2015), as well as Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council. His research focuses on macroeconomics, financial markets, and the development of the Portuguese economy. Author or co-author of several books and numerous academic publications, he has also worked as a consultant for public and private institutions, including the European Commission. In 2022, he received the Scientific Merit Award from the University of Minho.
António de Sousa Pereira
Rector of the University of Porto, Portugal
António Sousa Pereira is a medical doctor, Full Professor, and the current Rector of the University of Porto. He graduated in Medicine from the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), where he also completed his PhD in Medical Sciences and habilitation in Anatomy.
A Professor of Human Anatomy and Neuroanatomy, he previously served as Director of ICBAS, as well as Head of the Department of Anatomy, President of the Pedagogical Council, and President of the School’s Governing Board. His research has focused on morphological changes associated with environmental stress.
More recently, he has worked on health quality assessment systems, acting as a consultant to the Health Regulatory Authority and contributing to the development of SINAS, the National Health Assessment System.
Pedro Conceição
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Pedro Conceição is Director of the Human Development Report Office and lead author of the Human Development Report at the United Nations Development Programme since 2019. Previously, he served in several senior roles within the organisation, including Director of Strategic Policy and Chief Economist for the Regional Bureau for Africa.
His work focuses on development finance, global public goods, inequality, innovation, and technological change. He has published widely in international academic journals and co-edited books on globalisation, innovation, and inclusive development, including volumes published by Oxford University Press.
Before joining the UN, he was an Assistant Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon. He holds degrees in Physics and Economics and a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied as a Fulbright scholar.
Carmo Fonseca
Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon & Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Portugal
Maria Carmo-Fonseca is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. She co-founded the Institute of Molecular Medicine (iMM), a biomedical research institute affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, of which she is currently President. She was a visiting professor at the Harvard Medical School (2011-2013). She is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, the Portuguese Academy of Medicine, and the Academia Europaea, having served as President of the RNA Society (2021-2022). She is a scientific editor of the Journal of Cell Science and the journal RNA. Carmo-Fonseca has received several prestigious national scientific awards and serves on numerous national and international advisory committees. Carmo-Fonseca's research focuses on RNA biology. She is the author of over 170 research articles, with more than 12,000 citations.
