INEGI is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) with nearly four decades of experience at the intersection of academia and industry. Founded in 1986, INEGI operates as a non-profit private association and has been recognized as an institution of public utility. Its mission is to strengthen the competitiveness of national and international industry through Research and Development (R&D), Technology Transfer, Consulting, and Advanced Training.
INEGI delivers integrated services across the spectrum of research and innovation, from fundamental and applied research to dissemination, communication, and exploitation of results. With a strong track record in collaborative R&D, INEGI has partnered with academic institutions and industry to produce high-impact scientific outputs, technological solutions, and strategic knowledge transfer.
E-mail: inegi@inegi.up.pt
Team members
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Researcher at INEGI & Invited Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP)
Dulce Oliveira is a Senior Researcher at INEGI – Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering – and an Invited Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal. With a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and over a decade of experience in academia and research, her work focuses on the biomechanical analysis of childbirth and pelvic floor health.
Her doctoral research, completed in 2016, specialized in modelling pelvic tissue damage during vaginal delivery. Since then, she has led and contributed to innovative research projects such as SIM4SafeBirth, supervised numerous MSc and PhD theses, and published extensively in high-impact journals. In 2018, she expanded her international experience as a Visiting Researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, engaging in global collaborations.
Her research spans computational modelling of childbirth mechanics to the development of novel devices for managing neurogenic bladder. Dulce is a regular contributor to national and international conferences and workshops, where she shares insights and stays engaged with the latest advancements in biomechanics and healthcare technologies.
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Associate Professor at FEUP & Researcher at INEGI
Marco Parente is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), Portugal, where he contributes to research and teaching in the fields of computational mechanics and structural analysis. With a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a strong academic background in applied mechanics, Professor Parente has developed significant expertise in nonlinear finite element methods, material modeling, and simulation of complex mechanical systems.
His research focuses on numerical modeling of materials and structures, with applications spanning biomechanics, composite materials, and large deformation problems. He has led and participated in multiple national and European research projects and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals.
In addition to his academic role, Professor Parente is actively involved in supervising PhD and MSc students, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and advancing computational methods to address real-world engineering challenges. He regularly participates in international conferences and maintains collaborations with leading research institutions across Europe.
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Full Professor and Vice-Director at FEUP & Researcher at INEGI
Renato Natal Jorge is a Full Professor and Vice-Director of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), Portugal. With a distinguished career spanning over 30 years, Professor Jorge is internationally recognized for his contributions to biomechanics, computational mechanics, and applied mechanical engineering. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
His research focuses on the mechanical behavior of biological tissues, medical implant design, material modeling, and the development of advanced numerical methods for engineering and biomedical applications. He has authored over 240 peer-reviewed journal articles, 17 books, and numerous book chapters.
Professor Jorge has supervised dozens of MSc and PhD theses and has led or co-led several national and European research projects. As Vice-Director of FEUP, he plays a strategic role in shaping the faculty's research and academic vision. He is also a founding member of the Portuguese Society of Biomechanics and actively contributes to the advancement of the field through scientific leadership, conference organization, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Researcher at INEGI & Invited Professor at FEUP
Elisabete Silva holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from FEUP, Portugal, awarded in 2017, and a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering also from FEUP. Her research is centered on computational biomechanics, with a particular focus on the in vivo characterization of the biomechanical properties of the pelvic floor muscles in asymptomatic, incontinent, and prolapsed women.
In 2017, her contributions to the field were recognized with the Best Paper Award in Anatomy/Biomechanics at the International Continence Society (ICS) Annual Meeting in Florence, Italy, and the Best Poster Award at the Sociedade Portuguesa de Ginecologia, held in Ílhavo, Portugal.
She co-supervised a Master’s thesis exploring the biomechanical implications of laser treatment on the female pelvic cavity and continues to work at the interface of experimental measurements and computational modeling. Most recently, she was awarded a Urodynamics Fellowship from ICS/Laborie, focusing on mapping intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in the female pelvic cavity using experimental data from intravaginal transducers coupled with advanced numerical simulations.
Her work contributes to the advancement of personalised and non-invasive approaches in pelvic health diagnostics and therapy.
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Researcher at INEGI & Invited Professor at FEUP
Daniel Fidalgo is a biomechanical engineer with strong expertise in numerical simulation, constitutive modeling, and experimental biomechanics. His research combines computational and experimental methodologies to understand and predict complex biomechanical behavior across various applications.
He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from FEUP) in December 2024, supported by a scholarship from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). His doctoral thesis, “Holistic Biomechanical Approach to Study Late Stages of Pregnancy,” addressed critical challenges in maternal health through integrative modeling strategies. He previously completed his Integrated Master in Mechanical Engineering at FEUP with distinction, receiving a grade of 19/20 for his thesis on non-invasive spinal fusion techniques.
Daniel began his research career as a Fellow at INEGI, and in December 2024 was appointed Main Scientific Investigator at INEGI. He also joined FEUP as an Assistant Professor, where he contributes to both research and teaching in the field of biomechanics.
He has published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter, and is a regular participant in national and international scientific conferences. His work continues to bridge the gap between engineering innovation and clinical application, with a particular focus on maternal and spinal biomechanics.
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Doctoral Researcher at INEGI & Invited Professor at FEUP
Rita Moura is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at FEUP, specializing in computational biomechanics with a focus on maternal health. She holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Bioengineering, with a specialization in Biomedical Engineering, completed in 2020. Her master's thesis, developed at INEGI, received a final classification of 19/20.
Her research centers on the biomechanical modeling of the pelvic floor and perineal structures during childbirth, aiming to improve clinical outcomes through advanced simulation techniques. She has contributed to several national and international research projects, including SIM4SafeBirth, and has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in esteemed journals. Her work often integrates finite element analysis with machine learning to predict pelvic floor dynamics.Zora
Since 2022, Rita has served as an Invited Assistant at FEUP, teaching courses in Mathematical Analysis and Computer Programming. She is also an active participant in international conferences, sharing her findings with the broader scientific community.
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Diana Antunes, a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, has a strong background in pelvic floor health, supported by two published papers focused on medical device development and pelvic floor muscle assessment.
Her PhD project, PREDICT-Birth, is part of the broader European-funded initiative PELVITRACK. The main objective is to perform a biomechanical analysis of pelvic floor tissues during pregnancy and childbirth, develop predictive algorithms for perineal trauma, and clinically validate these tools. Ultimately, the goal is to create a ‘Digital Twin’ that serves as a vital decision-support tool for safer deliveries.
At this stage, Diana is focusing on acquiring essential software and technical skills for her research. She is currently working on modeling complex tissues using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in Abaqus, as well as exploring image analysis and segmentation techniques for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data using 3D Slicer, in collaboration with Vít Nováček, Scientific Researcher at New Technologies - Research Center, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and leader of WP4.
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Product Development Engineer at INEGI & Invited Professor at FEUP
Eduardo Carvalho is a product and development engineer at INEGI, specializing in computational Biomechanics, multibody analysis and artificial intelligence. His research focuses on the development of data-driven constitutive models to describe the behavior of hyperelastic materials, integrating computational simulations with experimental data. Eduardo has contributed to the advancement of computational tools for analyzing biomechanical systems, with applications in biomedical engineering.
He has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications, including work on the development of surrogate models for constitutive behavior of materials.
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