FCT launches IAedu: new platform to democratize access to Artificial Intelligence in higher education and research

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit FCCN, has launched IAedu, a pilot project that aims to democratize access to Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in the context of higher education and scientific research in Portugal.

This new digital service was developed in partnership with Microsoft and presented at the FCCN Days held from May 6 to 8 in Coimbra. It aims to promote an equitable, secure and efficient use of Artificial Intelligence in higher education, through centralized and free access to large-scale language models (LLM), in their Pro version, with federated authentication. Like other FCT digital services, such as b-on or Colibri, IAedu saves resources and time by providing a centrally funded service applicable to multiple academic and scientific contexts.

In addition to the web interface, IAedu also provides direct access to AI models via APIs, allowing national researchers and development teams to integrate LLMs into applications tailored to their scientific, pedagogical or institutional needs.

This pilot project is continually evolving, and in the future it will be able to integrate services provided by any commercial or open access service (e.g. new LLMs developed by the national scientific community).

The second edition of the platform, due to be launched this summer, will include a feature for creating personalized virtual agents. Using knowledge bases supplied by the users themselves, it will also be possible to set up thematic assistants to support curricular units, academic or scientific services, among other applications. These agents can be made available to previously defined groups of users or to the community in general, creating new possibilities for personalization and the dissemination of knowledge.

IAedu is available for subscription by all entities in the RCTS (Science Technology and Society Network) network, and is free of charge and subject to a responsible use policy. The data entered by users - including content submitted by researchers and students - will not be used to train or improve any AI model. FCT ensures the confidentiality and protection of information, in accordance with best practices and applicable standards.

This new project is part of FCT's portfolio, which already provides more than 25 digital services dedicated to education, science, technology and knowledge in Portugal. In the context of FCT's strategy for the area of Artificial Intelligence, IAedu represents a new axis of action in terms of its digital services, complementing other essential dimensions already underway. These include the funding of people and projects in the area of AI, the free provision of high-performance computing infrastructures (namely Deucalion and MareNostrum5), the AI Factory project and the enhancement of the reuse of open scientific data, through the National Open Research Data Program (e.g., see Polen program).

Institutions interested in joining this pilot project can do so via the application form available on the IAedu platform.