The AIR Centre has become a member of Portugal’s National Center for Advanced Computing (CNCA), represented by João Pinelo, the organization’s Head of Data Science, Cloud Infrastructure and Development Program.

Created in early 2025, the CNCA is funded by Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan as part of the “Ciência Mais Digital” (More Digital Science) initiative, contracted between Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Recovering Portugal Mission Structure.

The Centre’s mission is to manage, coordinate, and promote advanced computing initiatives across Portugal, delivering tangible benefits to the country’s research and innovation communities. Advanced computing is recognized as essential for scientific and economic progress, enabling new academic and scientific activities, promoting specialized training, and advancing technology-driven opportunities.

The AIR Centre’s membership in CNCA aligns with its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge data science and computational infrastructure to support ocean observation, climate research, and sustainable development across the Atlantic region.

The new group of members include IST – Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa, Universidade do Porto, Universidade do Coimbra, Universidade do Minho, INESC TEC – Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência, Instituto CCG/ZGDV, Associação Data CoLab, and Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.