From 31 August to 2 September 2026, the ODAE – Open Dialog in Applied Engineering 2026 conference took place in Alcúdia, Mallorca, Spain. Organised by Deep Tech Lab / Universidade Lusófona, the event brought together scientific activities from several Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchange projects, providing a common platform for scientific exchange, dissemination and collaboration.
The programme included the EWALD (101086250) and INNMEDSCAN (101086178) project conferences, alongside workshops and scientific sessions dedicated to DETMED (101129879), E-NOSE (101182748) and H-SAFE (101232577).
The event brought together Team Leaders, researchers, scientists and engineers from different countries and scientific backgrounds, creating an international and multidisciplinary environment for the presentation and discussion of recent research developments. Participants exchanged knowledge and perspectives across engineering, nanomaterials, physics, green chemistry, environmental sciences and medical applications, reflecting the broad scientific scope of the participating projects.
The international dimension of the event was also reflected in the institutions involved, representing a broad geographical and scientific network across Portugal, including Lusófona University and Cascatachuva Ltd; Türkiye, with Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University and Bursa Uludağ University; the Czech Republic, with Czech Technical University in Prague and University of West Bohemia in Pilsen; Hungary, represented by Elmék Mozgásban Alapítvány; Ukraine, with Limited Liability Company ECOMM CO, NANOTECHCENTER LLC, the Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth of the Institute of Geological Science, and the V.I. Vernadsky Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Uzbekistan, with the Materials Science Institute Solar Physics Research & Development Association; Poland, with Nanomaterials Research & Development Sp. z o.o.; Italy, with Nanophoenix SRL; Azerbaijan, with the National Nuclear Research Center, the Institute of Radiation Problems of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and SETM Limited Liability Company; Serbia, with the University of Novi Sad; Germany, with Quantag IT Solutions GmbH, Technische Universität Dortmund and the University of Hamburg; Morocco, with Ressources Ingénierie and Université Cadi Ayyad; and Slovakia, represented by the University of Žilina.
Bringing that projects together within the ODAE 2026 framework provided a valuable opportunity to present and disseminate research activities and results to an international and multidisciplinary audience, while promoting knowledge exchange between researchers and strengthening connections between participating institutions.
A central moment of ODAE 2026 was the EWALD Project Conference, held as the project approaches its conclusion in November 2026. Funded by the European Union and coordinated by Universidade Lusófona, EWALD aims to develop an innovative framework for an Early Warning System (EWS) and response to land degradation threatening the European Union from its external borders, using multi-source and multi-scale Earth Observation (EO) data. The conference provided an important opportunity to present the project's research activities and achievements, share knowledge among partners and reflect on the progress made throughout the project.
Beyond the formal conference sessions and workshops, ODAE 2026 also created valuable opportunities for networking and informal scientific exchange. Coffee breaks, shared meals and social gatherings, including the conference dinners, encouraged participants to continue discussions in a more informal setting, strengthen professional relationships and establish new connections across institutions and countries. These moments highlighted an important dimension of the MSCA Staff Exchange approach, in which scientific collaboration and knowledge transfer extend beyond formal research activities, contributing to long-term partnerships, researcher mobility and future collaborative opportunities.
