Lieutenant João Cruz was one of the winners of the Armed Forces Innovation Awards, a recognition given by the Armed Forces General Staff, at a ceremony held on 2 December at the Military Academy in Amadora. 

This year's edition was themed ‘Artificial Intelligence - Innovative Solutions for Military Decision Support’. Among the ideas presented, the three best were distinguished with cash prizes and trophies awarded during the ceremony.

Lieutenant João Cruz's project, dedicated to ‘Intelligent Management of Applications for Internal Competitions in the Armed Forces,’ stood out for its practical application of Office 365 and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the modernisation of internal processes. The solution proposes an integrated digital system for receiving and validating applications, using Forms, Power Automate, Excel Online and SharePoint, automating tasks that were previously manual and scattered.

The integration of AI allows documents to be validated quickly, reducing processing time and saving more than 100 hours of administrative work per year. This approach can also be scaled up to other competitions and internal processes, representing a significant advance in the administrative efficiency of the Armed Forces.

This award reinforces the commitment to technological innovation, promoting the development of solutions based on Artificial Intelligence and fostering cooperation between the scientific and technological communities and the defence sector.

The main objective of the Innovation Awards is to encourage the submission of technological proposals capable of enhancing data analysis, accelerating and informing decision-making, and optimising resources in the context of national defence.