The Big Lab brings together researchers from Técnico and associated research instituted with broad interdisciplinary expertise in blockchain and related foundational technologies including distributed computing, security and applied cryptography, AI, machine learning, software engineering, big data and cloud computing, human computer interaction, service design, and design thinking.

 In partnership with knowledge users and user communities, our cutting-edge research targets new ways to boost the potential of these emerging technologies in health, energy, digital citizenship, transport and creative industries as well as their economic impacts.

Research Highlights

Alea-BFT consensus

This research developed Alea-BFT, a new asynchronous consensus protocol, which can be used by several elements of blockchain ecosystems. The fact that Alea-BFT is considered an asynchronous protocol means that it does not require good network conditions to operate, and is therefore better equipped to withstand problems such as network outages or even attacks. Alea-BFT is gaining visibility in the Ethereum ecosystem, namely with two distributed validators of Ethereum considering it in their roadmap.

BIGLab member(s) involved: Rodrigo Rodrigues and André Breda (IST/INESC-ID).

Other researchers involved: Matheus G Franco, Diogo S Antunes, Afonso N Oliveira, Diogo Santos (master’s students at IST/INESC-ID), Henrique Moniz (now at Finisterra Labs).

Security of customer funds

With Anchorage Digital, we are enhancing the security of customer funds by focusing on improving the detection of dust attacks, address poisoning attacks, and other attack vectors (L. Caires, R. Rodrigues).

BIGLab member(s) involved: Luís Caires (IST/INESC-ID)

Smart contracts

Verified and certified smart contracts based on information flow and linearity analysis, and certified runtime systems (L Caires, B. Toninho, S. M. Sousa, J. Aldrich).

BIGLab member(s) involved: Luís Caires (IST/INESC-ID)
Other researchers involved: Bernardo Toninho (NOVA University), Simão Melo de Sousa (Universidade do Algarve), Jonathan Aldrich (Carnegie Mellon University)

Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT)

Development of DLT technologies in large scale domains (e.g., the TrustyFood project), and small scale domains (e.g., small scale agriculture)

BIGLab member(s) involved:
Miguel Matos (IST/ INESC-ID) – TrustyFood project;
Nuno Nunes (IST/ITI) and Valentina Nisi (IST/ITI) – small scale agriculture

Support for decentralized governance

With the Bauhaus of the Seas Initiative, pervasive support for decentralised governance in the crossroads of Culture, Tourism, Food, Communities and Migration, Ecosystems, Water, Nature

BIGLab member(s) involved: Nuno Nunes (IST/ITI), Mariana Pestana (IST/ITI) and Valentina Nisi (IST/ITI)