The Escola Superior Náutica Infante D. Henrique (ENIDH), together with the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), obtained funding for a Research and Development project, under the "FRONTEX RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM – Grant Agreement 2025/277" program.
The researchers at ENIDH are professors Hugo Marques, Mário Assunção, Pedro Teodoro, Ricardo Póvoa e Rosa Marat. The researchers at IST are professors João Fernandes, José Gaspar and Alexandre Bernardino.
The project called "Intelligent Surveillance for Autonomous Unmanned Marine Surface Vehicle - iS4ASV" started in September 2025 and will last 1 year.
The work intended to be carried out will be carried out with the vessel USV-enautica1, developed in the Sea2Future project. The project is part of the research line "Autonomous vessels and energy efficiency" of the Research and Development Center (CID) of the Escola Superior Náutica Infante D. Henrique.
The funding of €59.711,36 € will allow the payment to two research fellows and the purchase of an optical and thermal camera, a radar and various electronic and computational components.
The topics of the scholarships that will be awarded to ENIDH are:
1. Study of typical missions and variable profiles of the USV, such as speed, mission times and maneuvers. Compilation of data from previous energy consumption missions obtained in experimental tests on the Tagus River. Development of the semi-autonomous navigation system through the implementation of the Predictive Control Model (MPC) with data provided by cameras, GPS and IMU sensors. Conduct the experimental tests with the AUSV prototype to validate the performance of the situational and threat awareness system and the semi-autonomous navigation system.
2. It will focus on the development of a situational and threat identification system. Study Situational Awareness methodologies capable of sensor fusion with minimal power and weight requirements. Develop robust algorithms, considering risk awareness planning, based on low-power optical and thermal cameras and radars. Conduct the experimental tests with the AUSV prototype to validate the performance of the situational and threat awareness system and the semi-autonomous navigation system.
See the application notices at:
