The Regional Director for Science and Technology stressed the importance of remote laboratories in the field of new technologies and virtual environments for "collaborative work between scientists on a global scale."

Nelson Simões spoke in Ponta Delgada spoke in the context of the 3rd Experiment@ International (Exp.at'15) Conference, which runs until Friday at the University of the Azores. The event brings together about 120 participants from various countries and was financially supported by the Regional Directorate for Science and Technology, through the allocation of six thousand Euros under the PRO-SCIENTIA programme.

The Regional Director for Science and Technology stressed that this meeting "falls under the goal towards the promotion of international scientific meetings in the Region," which, as in this case, are considered strategic for "raising the level of awareness for innovative, emerging and relevant areas in technological world.”

Exp.at'15 aims to promote online testing through emerging technologies that support remote testing: 2D and 3D virtual testing, augmented reality-based testing and the respective interactions with sensory devices, and other tools such as interactive videos and serious games. These experiences seek to "promote the user's immersion into virtual environments that reproduce real experience."

The event is attended by internationally renowned scientists, who are presenting case studies related to the monitoring of infrastructures as well as sessions on online testing and engineering education.

Nelson Simões also highlighted "the involvement of the regional scientific community, who will present and disseminate the scientific and technological potentialities of the Azores in the field of marine and earth sciences."

The Regional Director for Science also stressed the "potential" of the conference for the establishment of contacts and the sharing experiences promoted in the context of possible partnerships in European projects.

Promoted by the universities of Porto and Coimbra, this year's edition of Experiment@International (Exp.at'15) was organised with the collaboration of the University of the Azores.