IFAC/SBA Seminar Series: Promoting Regional Diversity in Control and Automation in Brazil
Project Lead: Gustavo Artur de Andrade, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil; gustavo.artur@ufsc.br
IFAC Sponsors: Sociedade Brasileira de Automática (Brazil NMO); TC 9.2; TC 9.4
Description
The activity addressed a persistent geographical imbalance in access to advanced education and research opportunities in Control and Automation in Brazil. Undergraduate and graduate students in the Center-West, North, and Northeast regions often have fewer opportunities to attend face-to-face training on current topics than students based in the South and Southeast. The seminar series therefore brought recognized specialists directly to partner public universities, combining advanced instruction, practical laboratory work, and opportunities for academic networking.
The series was promoted through official university channels and the social-media networks of SBA and the host institutions. The host universities provided classrooms and laboratory facilities without charge. The IFAC Activity Fund and supplementary resources from SBA supported the speakers and selected students, including transportation, accommodation, meals, course materials, and registration for the 2026 Brazilian Congress of Automatics (CBA 2026).
First seminar - Northeast region (UFRN, Natal, 23-24 March 2026). Prof. Alexandre Sanfelice Bazanella (UFRGS) delivered a course on adaptive and data-driven control. The program combined theoretical lectures and practical laboratory activities covering linear-system identification, indirect data-based control, comparisons among data-based, adaptive, and model-based control, Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning (VRFT), Optimal Controller Identification (OCI), and applications to unmanned aerial vehicles, industrial processes, and power converters. Fifteen students from Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Ceará, and Bahia participated.
Second seminar - Center-West region (UFMT, Cuiabá, 21-22 May 2026). Prof. Julio Elias Normey-Rico (UFSC) presented advanced control applications in the energy industry. The course discussed the role of control and process optimization in the changing global energy matrix and presented case studies involving offshore oil production, solar-energy systems, and microgrids with renewable generation and hybrid storage. Twenty-seven students from Mato Grosso and Goiás participated.
Third seminar - North region (UFAM, Manaus, 28-29 May 2026). Prof. Tito Luis Maia Santos (UFBA) delivered a course on Model Predictive Control. Topics included the fundamental MPC formulation, cost functions and prediction horizons, Generalized Predictive Control, Dynamic Matrix Control, state-space predictive control, constrained optimization, multivariable systems, stability and robustness, and introductory nonlinear MPC. Twenty-nine students from Amazonas, Pará, and Roraima participated.
In total, the series reached 71 students. Participant reports consistently emphasized the high technical quality of the seminars, the value of practical activities, and the opportunity to interact with specialists and peers from other institutions. Beyond the immediate training outcomes, the events helped students establish connections that may support future postgraduate study and research collaboration. Registration for all 71 participants was also funded for CBA 2026, to be held in São Paulo in October 2026, extending the impact of the activity by encouraging continued engagement with the Brazilian and IFAC control communities.
The principal objectives of the approved application were achieved: three in-person seminars were delivered in the targeted regions; recognized lecturers provided current technical content with hands-on components; students from several states were supported; and links were created between regional institutions and the broader national community. There were no material changes to the scope or target audience. The only relevant schedule adjustment was that the North-region seminar, initially indicated for August 2026, was advanced to May 2026. This change did not reduce the planned content or participation and allowed the complete series to be concluded during the first semester of 2026.
Figure 1: Infographic for the IFAC/SBA Seminar Series, illustrating the three regional seminars held in the Northeast, Center-West, and North of Brazil, their target audience, the main technical topics, and their connection with the 2026 Brazilian Congress of Automatics (CBA 2026).
Figure 2: Montage of the three IFAC/SBA Seminar Series events, showing students and invited speakers during lectures and practical activities. The top-left image corresponds to the first event, held at UFRN in the Northeast region; the bottom-left image corresponds to the second event, held at UFMT in the Center-West region; and the right image corresponds to the third event, held at UFAM in the North region.