Mission
LIACC pursues research in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science and turns it into measurable impact for society. We combine fundamental research with proof-of-concept systems and prototypes, publish openly, and partner with industry, public administration and hospitals to deploy AI that is explainable, auditable and trustworthy.
History
Founded in 1988 by a small group of Computer Science and AI doctorates, LIACC was one of the first AI laboratories in Portugal. Today it is an R&D unit of the University of Porto, headquartered at FEUP with hubs at FCUP, UMaia, UFP and UAzores, and integrated researchers from several other institutions (including P.PORTO and IPVC). It brings together 33 integrated members, 47 PhD collaborators and 58 PhD students, and was rated Very Good in the last FCT assessment of R&D units (official About page).
Research is organised around long-running groups — Distributed AI and Agent-based Simulation (DAIAS), Human–Machine Intelligent Cooperation (HMIC) and Computer Science — and managed, under FCT rules, by a Coordinating Board, a Scientific Council and an external Advisory Board.
What we do
Our work spans seven research areas — Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Intelligent Robotics, Intelligent Simulation, Complex Systems, Declarative Programming and Software Engineering — applied across seven thematic lines: Health, Smart Cities, Industry & Services, Public Administration, Infrastructures, Entertainment and Human/Machine Interaction. A researcher or project usually sits at the intersection of both. We also host and co-supervise theses across the University of Porto's leading AI and computer-science programmes.
Values
- Scientific rigour. Every recommendation is backed by peer-reviewed evidence.
- Open science. We release models, datasets, and code whenever we can.
- Applied impact. Research ends in deployment, not a filing cabinet.
- Trustworthy AI. Explainability, safety, and fairness are first-class design goals.
Facts & figures
Figures from the official LIACC page. liacc.fe.up.pt/about-us
Governance
LIACC's coordinating board is led by Director Luís Paulo Reis, with Henrique Lopes Cardoso, Mário Florido, Eliana Silva and José Luís Reis. An external Advisory Board brings together Ian Mackie, Marco Dorigo, Paolo Rosso and Paulo Novais. The full roster (33 integrated members, 47 PhD collaborators and 58 PhD students) is maintained on the official About page.
