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The SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy is pleased to announce the visit of Professor Ricardo García Mira, from the Universidade da Coruña (Spain), to Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa between May 19 and 23, 2025.  As part of his visit, Professor García Mira will lead a seminar and hold an open research meeting at Iscte:  May 20, 14h00–16h00, Room 321 : Seminar – Activating Sustainable Lifestyles for a Low Carbon Society   May 21, 14h00–16h00, Room 321 : Open Meeting with Researchers  The seminar will focus on the socio-psychological dimensions of sustainability and the activation of individual and collective behaviors toward a low-carbon future. It is open to all interested members of the Iscte community.  We look forward to welcoming Professor García Mira and to an enriching exchange of ideas on sustainability, environmental psychology, and public policy. About Prof. Ricardo García Mira   Ricardo García Mira  is Professor of Social Psychology at the Universidade da Coruña (UDC), specializing in Environmental Psychology. He has led the People-Environment Research Group at UDC since 1995 and served as a Member of the Spanish Parliament (2016–2019), where he was Spokesman for Climate Change in the Ecological Transition Commission.  He has coordinated several European research projects on sustainability and social innovation (LOCAW, GLAMURS, TRANSIT, CONNECTING, SMARTEES) and was President of the International Association for People-Environment Studies (2014–2018). He is a Doctor Honoris Causa of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romania), a Fellow of the International Association of Applied Psychology, and serves on the editorial boards of leading journals in his field.  You can explore his recent work on Academia.edu .

O SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy  abriu um concurso para a atribuição de duas Bolsas de Doutoramento , dirigidas a estudantes de 3.º ciclo do Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa , com início no ano letivo de 2025-2026 . Estas bolsas têm como objetivo reconhecer o mérito académico e científico  dos/as doutorandos/as do Iscte, promovendo projetos de investigação de excelência , com foco multidisciplinar  e impacto relevante nas políticas públicas . Informações-chave*: Destinatários/as:  Estudantes  de programas doutorais do Iscte, em regime de tempo integral; Multidisciplinaridade:  Os projetos devem envolver dois orientadores/as  de áreas disciplinares distintas, sendo obrigatório  que um/a deles/as esteja integrado/a numa das Unidades de Investigação do Iscte ; Financiamento:  Valor mensal de 1.309,64€ , com duração anual e possibilidade de renovação; Candidaturas:  O edital será divulgado em breve na plataforma de recrutamento do Iscte ; Prazo previsto para candidatura:  De 5 a 26 de maio de 2025 . Incentivamos todos/as os/as estudantes elegíveis a preparar atempadamente a sua candidatura e a contactar os/as potenciais orientadores/as para estruturar propostas inovadoras e alinhadas com os objetivos do SocioDigital Lab. As candidaturas deverão ser feitas exclusivamente pelo portal de recrutamento do Iscte, através do link: https://recrutamento.iscte-iul.pt/jobs/601 Edital: *As informações apresentadas não dispensam a consulta do Edital, disponível na página do concurso .

On the next May 6 , Thematic Line 3 organizes a workshop on " Mental wellbeing and sustainable workforces: Positive Health approach through Structured Interview Matrix (SIM) ", with the guest John Dierx from the Avans University of Applied Sciences. The workshop will take place from 16:00  (4 PM) to 18:00 (6 PM), in A302 Auditorium (Building 4, Iscte). About the workshop: In this workshop you will be experiencing the effects of the participatory method of Structured Interview Matrix (SIM) on the topic of mental wellbeing at the workplace, on the one hand. On the other hand,  you will learn about a different way of looking at health in a broad way. This workshop aims to exchange thoughts, perspectives, ideas, and experiences in working with people and for people in supporting healthy choices. About Prof. John Dierx: John Dierx is professor of the research group ‘Equal Chances on Healthy Choices’ at Avans University of Applied Sciences. As medical biologist with a PhD in neuroendocrine science he is specialized in quantitative and qualitative research methods. He is working in the field of public health for over 25 years at national, regional and local level and experienced teacher in health and health behavior at HAN and Avans University of Applied Sciences and Netherlands School of Occupational and Public Health. Furthermore, he is a consultant and member of the committee in validating interventions in improving healthy lifestyle at of The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Also, he is a member of several granting committees for research on health and health behavior and was treasurer at the PHned (Dutch association of public health professionals) for past 9 years and board member of EUPHA. In addition, he is a member of several governmental advisory boards in the Netherlands.

The Thematic Line 1 organizes the fourth Lab Talk  of SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy initiatives for 2024/25, " Desafios à Transformação Social e Tecnológica na Mitigação: Estratégias para o Clima e Bem-Estar ". On May 6 , 2025, researchers Susana Batel  (CIS-Iscte) and Nuno Bento  (DINÂMIA'CET-Iscte) will share their research on the social aspects of the twin transition. The goal is to discuss multidisciplinary approaches to develop adequate strategies for climate and well-being when addressing the challenges of the social and technological transformation. From 13:30 to 14:30, join us in Room B321, Building 4, or online ( https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/96937251893 ) and be part of this discussion. ____________________________ Nuno Bento is a researcher at DINÂMIA’CET-Iscte. His research focuses on technological change and policies in the field of energy and climate change. Susana Batel is a researcher at CIS-Iscte. Her research explores topics like energy and the environment, often relating to social change, social justice, public participation, but also discourse and communication.

The Thematic Line 3 organizes the third Lab Talk  of SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy initiatives for 2024/25, "Inovar a Educação para a Sexualidade através de Abordagens Multidisciplinares – O projeto SexEd4Me". On April 8 , 2025, researchers David L. Rodrigues  (CIS-Iscte) and Violeta Alarcão  (CIES-Iscte) will share their research around sexual health and well-being. The aim is to integrate multidisciplinary approaches involving psychology, sociology, digital health and public policy, formalized in the SexEd4Me project. This project seeks to contribute to equal access for young adults to comprehensive sexuality education messages. Join us at Clube Iscte-CI (Room B332, Building 4) from 13:00 to 14:00 and be part of this discussion. ____________________________ David L. Rodrigues is a researcher at CIS-Iscte. His research focuses on understanding the motivational determinants of health and well-being and the dichotomies between social normativity and the experiences of sexual and relational minorities. Violeta Alarcão is a researcher at CIES-Iscte. Her research interests are multiple and interdisciplinary, increasingly including topics such as sexuality, gender and ethnicity, from a transdisciplinary perspective.

The Thematic Line 2 organizes the second Lab Talk  of SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy initiatives for 2024/25, "(I)legalidades justificadas: O caso das transferências monetárias entre a China e Portugal". On March 18 , 2025, researchers Sofia Gaspar  (CIES-Iscte) and Marcelo Moriconi  (CEI-Iscte) will present their work on the intersection of migration, economy, and legality, specifically regarding monetary transfers between China and Portugal. Then, they will debate common points and possible implications for public policies. Join us at A302 Auditorium (Building 4) from 12:00 to 13:00 and be part of this discussion. ____________________________ Sofia Gaspar is an integrated researcher at Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte). Her research focuses on privileged migrations, investment-based mobility, and the social integration of immigrant descendants, particularly within the Chinese community in Portugal and Europe.   Marcelo Moriconi is a researcher at Center for International Studies (CEI-Iscte). His research areas include illegal markets, violence, corruption, integrity in sports, and the manipulation of sporting competitions, with a particular emphasis on Latin America.

On the next March 18 , Thematic Lines 1 and 4 jointly organize a seminar on "Just Energy Transition in Latin America", with the guest Gonzalo Vargas Forero, Director of Interdisciplinary Center for Development Studies (Cider) from the Universidad de los Andes. The seminar will take place at 18:00  (6 PM), in room B226 (Building 4, Iscte), and can be joined by Teams meeting . Title: La Transición Energética Justa en América Latina Abstract: Desde la adopción del Acuerdo de París en 2015, el concepto de transición justa ha cobrado impulso. Ha sido promovido por organismos internacionales y bancos multilaterales, al tiempo que ha sido cuestionado y reinterpretado por académicos y activistas. La definición dominante, originada en América del Norte, hace hincapié en las medidas para compensar y recapacitar a la fuerza laboral. Durante la última década, esta definición se ha institucionalizado y difundido a nivel global. Mientras que académicos y activistas en Europa y Estados Unidos han reformulado el concepto a través de los prismas de la justicia ambiental, climática y energética, sus homólogos latinoamericanos lo han reinterpretado como un desafío al desarrollo, al capitalismo y a la colonialidad. En esta conferencia exploraré las diferencias y similitudes entre estas perspectivas.

Applications until 22 July 2024 [Scroll for PT] A call for applications is open for one (1) Research Fellowship (BI/LA 2024/1) at the SocioDigital Lab for Public Policies of Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, within the Thematic Line of Societal Health, under the following conditions: Scientific Areas: Social Sciences/Health Sciences. Type of grant : Master’s Scholarship (BI) Admission requirements: The grant is aimed at master’s students studying for a doctorate or master’s students enrolled on non-academic degree programmes. Candidates must have: Master’s degree in the areas of Social Sciences applied to health or Health Sciences and be proficient in knowledge synthesis methodologies, systematic literature reviews, scoping reviews and meta analyses. Applications must be formalised by sending the documents required in the notice to the following e-mail address: sociodigitallab@iscte-iul.pt , by the deadline set in this notice, with the following subject line “LT3 Application | Name of Applicant”. Application deadline: 22 July 2024. For more information, please consult the public notice [PT] Bolsa de Investigação para Mestre Encontra-se aberto concurso para a atribuição de uma (1) Bolsa de Investigação (BI/LA 2024/1) no SocioDigital Lab for Public Policies do Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, no âmbito da Linha Temática de Saúde Societal, nas seguintes condições: Áreas Científicas: Ciências Sociais/Ciências da Saúde. Tipo de bolsa: Bolsa de Investigação para Mestre (BI) Requisitos de admissão: A bolsa é destinada a mestres estudantes de doutoramento ou mestres inscritos em cursos não conferentes de grau académico. Os/as candidatos/as deverão possuir: Mestrado nas áreas das Ciências Sociais aplicadas à saúde ou Ciências da Saúde e ter domínio de metodologias de síntese de conhecimento,revisões sistemáticas de literatura, scoping reviews e meta análises. As candidaturas devem ser formalizadas obrigatoriamente através do envio dos documentos requeridos no edital para o e-mail: sociodigitallab@iscte-iul.pt ,até à data-limite fixada neste edital, com o seguinte assunto “Candidatura LT3 | Nome do Candidato”. Data limite de candidatura: 22 de julho de 2024. Para mais informações deverá ser consultado o edital

Machine Learning for Social Issues and Visualization for Trust and Decision-Making Lab Talk The Thematic Line 5 organizes the first Lab Talk of SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy initiatives for 2024/25, “Data-Driven Perspectives: Machine Learning for Social Issues and Visualization for Trust and Decision-Making“. On December 3 , 2024, researchers Tomás Alves (BRU-Iscte) and Pedro Mariano (ISTAR-Iscte) will present their recent work on Data visualization and on Simulation for social sciences, respectively. Then, they will debate common points and possible implications for public policies. Join us at Clube Iscte-CI (Room B332, Building 4) from 13:00 to 14:00 and be part of this discussion. Abstract for Tomás Alves's talk Data visualization plays a critical role in how individuals interpret and interact with complex information, influencing both user trust and decision-making. This presentation focuses on how individual differences shape users’ trust and susceptibility to cognitive biases, such as the anchoring bias and the phantom effect. Drawing on recent findings, we will discuss how visualization techniques influence the trust-building process and may trigger biases that impact decision-making. Emerging research directions will also be explored, emphasizing advances in priming and mitigation techniques for cognitive biases and in designing visualizations that support more reliable trust and decision outcomes. Abstract for Pedro Mariano's' talk Social Simulation is a tool to analyse complex phenomena, to model socio and economic aspects. Agents in such simulations can be as simple as the action they play in a game represented by a 2×2 matrix, or be composed of an architecture with a Large Language Model for communication, Deep Reinforcement Learning for reasoning about the environment and other players, Belief Desire and Intention model for representing knowledge about its goals, among other possibilities. In this talk I will discuss the ongoing research in these topics.

O Iscte – Conhecimento e Inovação acolhe, nos dias 19 e 20 de novembro , a 3ª Conferência do SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy , sob o tema “Novas Fronteiras na Saúde: Contributos para as Políticas Públicas na Era Digital” . O evento reúne académicos, especialistas e decisores políticos para discutir os avanços e os desafios no campo da saúde digital, com uma abordagem centrada nas políticas públicas.  A conferência conta com a participação de três Keynote Speakers de prestígio internacional. No dia 19, Angela Donkin (Institute of Health Equity, Reino Unido) dará início ao evento com uma palestra sobre o progresso global e local na redução das desigualdades em saúde. No segundo dia, Cláudia Abreu Lopes , Investigadora da ONU, abordará a equidade nos programas de saúde digital , desde o seu design ao impacto real. A conferência será encerrada por Alexandre Lourenço , Presidente da ULS de Coimbra, que discutirá os desafios dos cuidados centrados nas pessoas e como eliminar barreiras nas Unidades Locais de Saúde. Inscreva-se já e garanta o seu lugar neste evento, através do link: https://forms.office.com/e/bZzfZv1z5E Programa 19 NOVEMBRO 8h30 – Receção dos participantes 9h00 – Sessão de Abertura  Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues, Reitora do Iscte  Teresa Patrício e Luísa Lima, Co-coordenadoras do SocioDigital Lab;   Elsa Pegado (CIES-Iscte), Henrique Martins (BRU-Iscte) e Sónia Bernardes (CIS-Iscte), Coordenação da Comissão Organizadora Apresentação dos Policy Briefs da 2ª Conferência SocioDigital Lab, Maria Assunção Gato (DINÂMIA’CET) e Susana Batel (CIS-Iscte) 9h45 – Keynote 1 Global and local progress on reducing health inequalities   Angela Donkin, Institute of Health Equity, United Kingdom  11h00 – Coffee break  11h30 – Mesa Redonda 1 Cuidar para viver: Interseções entre a habitação, a sustentabilidade e a saúde   Moderadora : Susana Batel, investigadora, CIS-Iscte  Participantes :   Maria Assunção Gato, investigadora, DINÂMIA’CET-Iscte: HYBGEN – Young adults trapped in hybrid lifestyles   Pedro Reis, Komuhn, Espaço Largo   Rosário Pedrosa, Centro de Inovação da Mouraria  Luís Mendes, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território, Universidade de Lisboa  Beatriz Gomes Dias, Vereadora da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa  13h00 – Almoço  14h30 – Mesa Redonda 2 Equidade em Saúde: Desafios e Soluções para a Saúde Mental Pós-COVID19 em Comunidades Imigrantes    Moderador : Renato Miguel do Carmo, investigador, CIES-Iscte  Participantes :     Pedro Candeias, investigador, CIES-Iscte: EQUALS for Covid-19: Equidade em saúde em tempos de pandemia   Catarina Reis Oliveira, ISCSP-ULisboa, Ex-Diretora do Observatório das Migrações Ana Mansoa, Centro Padre Alves Correia (CEPAC)  Aníbal da Graça, Associação de Promotores de Saúde Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Sócio Cultural (Prosaudesc)  André Peralta , Subdiretor Geral da Saúde  16h00 – Coffee break  16h30 – Mesa Redonda 3 Entre o internacional e o local: Desafios na saúde    Moderadora : Alejandra Ortiz, investigadora, CIES-Iscte  Participantes :   Clara Carvalho, investigadora, CEI-Iscte: Vacinação universal e barreiras de género   Ana Teresa Afonso, consultora UK MED  Martino Gliozzi, Médico Coordenador da USF Baixa  Sandra Ferreira, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian  20 NOVEMBRO 8h30 – Receção dos participantes  9h00 – Keynote 2 Equity in digital health programs: From design to impact   Cláudia Abreu Lopes, Research Lead United Nations University, International Institute for Global Health 10h30 – Coffee break  11h00 – Mesa Redonda 4 Inteligência Artificial Ética na Saúde    Moderador : Miguel Sales Dias, Iscte-Sintra  Participantes :   Luís Rosário, CHULN/FMUL: AIMHEALTH- Aplicações móveis baseadas em IA para resposta de saúde pública   João Ferreira, investigador, ISTAR-Iscte: The Potential of AI for the Health Sector – training healthcare professionals (AMR-EDUCare project)   Patrícia Patrício, Diretora de Inovação do Health Cluster Portugal (HCP)  Pedro Roseiro, Vogal da Comissão Executiva do TICE.PT , Cluster Português das Tecnologias de Informação, Comunicação e Eletrónica  Ana Ribeiro da Cunha, Ordem dos Médicos  12h30 – Almoço  14h00 – Mesa Redonda 5 Como aproveitar o digital para uma saúde sem fronteiras   Moderadora : Elzbieta Bobrowicz-Campos, investigadora, CIS-Iscte  Participantes :   Henrique Martins, investigador, BRU-Iscte, Iscte-Sintra: XpanDH – Expanding Digital Health   Wuleta Lemma, investigadora, CEI-Iscte  Paulo Gonçalves, Plataforma Saúde em Diálogo  José Paulo Carvalho, HopeCare  Carlos Galamba, Vice-Presidente do Conselho Diretivo, Administração Central do Sistema de Saúde (ACSS)  15h30 – Coffee break  16h00 – Keynote 3 Cuidados centrados nas pessoas, eliminar barreiras dentro das ULS   Alexandre Lourenço, Presidente do Conselho de Administração da ULS de Coimbra Comentador: Francisco Goiana da Silva, Médico e Comentador da SIC 17h30 – Sessão de encerramento  Jorge Costa, Vice-Reitor para a Investigação e Modernização Tecnológica, Iscte   Elsa Pegado (CIES-Iscte), Henrique Martins (BRU-Iscte) e Sónia Bernardes (CIS-Iscte), Coordenação da Comissão Organizadora  Inscrições Abertas Não perca esta oportunidade de participar num debate inovador sobre o futuro da saúde pública na era digital. A entrada é livre , mas sujeita a inscrição prévia.

[scroll down for PT] The SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy is pleased to announce the launch of the policy briefs resulting from the 2nd SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy 2023 Conference, which took place in November last year. Under the theme “ Inclusive Territories in the Green and Digital Transition ”, the conference brought together experts, researchers, local authorities, businesses and civil organizations to debate the main challenges that the green and digital transitions pose for public policies. During two days of discussions, in plenary sessions and round tables, issues such as the just transition, the resilience of vulnerable territories, digital inclusion, populism, and the social and economic impacts of new environmental strategies were addressed. The policy briefs now published highlight practical measures and recommendations to promote inclusive and sustainable public policies, based on the issues and solutions discussed during the event. The publication includes detailed insights on topics such as the need for retraining, the importance of community inclusion, and the balanced management of digitalization and environmental preservation. This joint, interdisciplinary work is a fundamental contribution to supporting a transition that is fair for all territories and social groups. This publication is only available in Portuguese [PT] O SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy tem o prazer de anunciar o lançamento dos policy briefs resultantes da 2ª Conferência SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy 2023, que teve lugar em novembro do ano passado. Sob o tema “Territórios Inclusivos na Transição Verde e Digital”, a conferência reuniu especialistas, investigadores, autoridades locais, empresas e organizações civis para debater os principais desafios que as transições verde e digital colocam às políticas públicas. Durante dois dias de discussões, em sessões plenárias e mesas redondas, foram abordadas questões como a transição justa, a resiliência dos territórios vulneráveis, a inclusão digital, o populismo, e os impactos sociais e económicos das novas estratégias ambientais. Os policy briefs agora publicados destacam medidas e recomendações práticas para promover políticas públicas inclusivas e sustentáveis, com base nas problemáticas e soluções discutidas ao longo do evento. A publicação inclui insights detalhados sobre temas como a necessidade de requalificação profissional, a importância da inclusão comunitária, e a gestão equilibrada entre a digitalização e a preservação ambiental. Este trabalho conjunto e interdisciplinar é uma contribuição fundamental para apoiar uma transição que seja justa para todos os territórios e grupos sociais.

SocioDigital Lab Seminar Unsplashed Hugo Barbosa Join us on September 19  for a seminar with Bonno Pel , from the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (University of Utrecht). With the title "Is ‘digital transition’ a syntax error? Purpose, emergence and directionality in a contemporary governance discourse" the speakers will critically examine the paradoxical nature of the digital transition. The talk, organized by the thematic lines 1 (Regenerative Territories for Carbon Neutrality) and 4 (Global Governance) of SocioDigital Lab, will explore how digital innovations challenge societal actors to rethink strategies in a rapidly evolving landscape. Speaker:  Bonno Pel (University of Utrecht) Date: September 19, 10:00-11:00 Venue:  Iscte, Building 4, Room A202 Abstract : An important precondition for responsible innovation is the awareness of directionality: Dynamic innovation processes can take different, more or less favorable, turns. The ongoing wave of digital innovations exemplifies how this directionality challenges societal actors to develop new strategic dispositions. This paper critically examines the ‘digital transition’ as a rather paradoxical ‘knowing of governance’. It appears to refer simultaneously to digital instruments and directed automated futures and to rather spontaneously occurring digitalization. The analysis explores this apparent ‘syntax error’ through academic scholarship, gray literature, as well as newspaper sources. Critical discourse analysis demonstrates how directionality is obscured through various ideological representations of directed transitions but also disclosed through an increasingly rich vocabulary on emergent digitalization issues. Calling attention to the partly purposive, partly emergent nature of the transformation process, the ‘digital transition’ notion can help to express directionality.