O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) marcou presença na Assembleia Geral dos 24 meses do projeto europeu VINNY, que decorreu nos dias 23 e 24 de junho em Viena e Klosterneuburg, na Áustria. A instituição foi representada por Cristina Azevedo, diretora da Área de Biosoluções, e por Tiago Amaro, investigador da subárea de Proteção de Plantas.
A reunião reuniu os parceiros do consórcio com o objetivo de avaliar o progresso alcançado ao longo dos primeiros dois anos do projeto, analisar os resultados obtidos e definir as próximas etapas para o desenvolvimento de soluções inovadoras que promovam uma viticultura mais sustentável, resiliente e competitiva.
Durante os primeiros 2 anos de implementação do VINNY, foram alcançados importantes marcos científicos e tecnológicos. Entre os principais destaques encontram-se a validação, em condições controladas, de compostos bioativos derivados da videira e de biofertilizantes de origem biológica, o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e metodologias de aplicação e o arranque dos ensaios em condições reais de campo, permitindo avaliar o desempenho das soluções em contexto produtivo.
A participação do InPP nesta Assembleia Geral constituiu também uma oportunidade para reforçar a colaboração com os restantes parceiros europeus, promover a partilha de conhecimento e discutir os desafios técnicos e científicos associados ao desenvolvimento de biosoluções inovadoras para o setor vitivinícola.
O segundo dia do encontro incluiu uma visita técnica às instalações da HBLA und BA für Wein- und Obstbau Klosterneuburg, onde os participantes acompanharam os ensaios em vinha e em estufa atualmente em curso. A visita permitiu conhecer de perto as atividades experimentais desenvolvidas pelos parceiros e promover a troca de experiências relativamente às diferentes abordagens de validação das soluções em ambiente real.
A Assembleia Geral terminou com o alinhamento das atividades previstas para a próxima fase do projeto, reforçando o compromisso do consórcio em acelerar a adoção de práticas agrícolas mais sustentáveis e de biosoluções seguras, eficazes e ambientalmente responsáveis para responder aos desafios atuais e futuros da viticultura europeia.
A participação do InPP neste encontro reflete o seu compromisso contínuo com a investigação, a inovação e a transferência de conhecimento, contribuindo ativamente para o desenvolvimento de biosoluções seguras, eficazes e amigas do ambiente que promovam uma agricultura mais sustentável e resiliente.
O projeto VINNY reúne um consórcio internacional de entidades de investigação, universidades, empresas e organizações do setor agrícola, que trabalham em conjunto no desenvolvimento de estratégias inovadoras para reduzir a dependência de produtos convencionais de proteção das culturas e potenciar a utilização de biosoluções na produção vitivinícola.
O InPP participou na reunião final do projeto Algae Vertical, realizada no Instituto Superior de Agronomia, onde foram apresentados os principais resultados e foi feito um balanço daquela que foi a maior iniciativa dedicada às algas integrada no Pacto da Bioeconomia Azul.
Na qualidade de líder do subprojeto SP6 – Agricultura, o InPP apresentou os principais resultados alcançados no desenvolvimento de soluções inovadoras para o setor agrícola baseadas em biomassa de algas, em colaboração com diversos parceiros do consórcio. A apresentação esteve a cargo de Cristina Azevedo, diretora da área de Biosoluções do InPP.
Cinco soluções inovadoras para a agricultura
Ao longo de quatro anos de trabalho colaborativo, o SP6 – Agricultura permitiu o desenvolvimento de cinco soluções baseadas em algas, destinadas a responder a desafios concretos do setor agrícola:
Dois bioestimulantes
Dois bioprotectores para o controlo de doenças das plantas
Um modulador da microbiota do solo para promoção da saúde do solo
Estas soluções foram concebidas para aplicação em várias culturas agrícolas relevantes para o setor, contribuindo para práticas de produção mais sustentáveis, eficientes e resilientes.
Um marco para o InPP e para o setor das algas
A participação na sessão final do Algae Vertical representa um momento particularmente significativo para o InPP, enquanto entidade líder do SP6 – Agricultura e parceira ativa numa iniciativa que reuniu 37 entidades e mobilizou um investimento de 44 milhões de euros.
O projeto demonstrou o potencial das algas como recurso estratégico para o desenvolvimento de novas biosoluções agrícolas, reforçando a ligação entre investigação, inovação e aplicação industrial.
“Mais do que o encerramento de um projeto, este momento representa um reconhecimento da capacidade de coordenação científica e tecnológica do nosso CoLAB em projetos de grande escala, bem como do nosso compromisso com o desenvolvimento de biosoluções inovadoras para a agricultura.”, sublinha António Saraiva, diretor executivo do InPP.
O diretor executivo assinala ainda o resultado de quatro anos de colaboração intensa entre parceiros científicos e empresariais, que criaram “bases sólidas para futuras oportunidades de valorização das algas na agricultura.”
Portugal reforça posição no setor das algas
O projeto Algae Vertical demonstrou a capacidade nacional para desenvolver tecnologias, processos e aplicações inovadoras em torno das algas, abrangendo áreas como a alimentação humana, aquicultura, agricultura, nutracêuticos e cosmecêuticos, e posicionando Portugal como um dos países com maior capacidade de desenvolvimento tecnológico neste domínio.
O InPP felicita todos os parceiros envolvidos pelo trabalho realizado ao longo destes quatro anos e pelos resultados alcançados, que contribuem para reforçar a competitividade e a sustentabilidade da bioeconomia azul em Portugal.
No passado dia 17 de junho, a Herdade de Rui Vaz, em Avis, recebeu a sessão prática “Tree Talkers: Sensores IoT que permitem compreender a fisiologia das árvores”, uma iniciativa promovida pelo InnovPlantProtect, no âmbito do projeto BioLivingLABs.
A ação reuniu produtores, académicos, técnicos e representantes de diferentes entidades interessados em conhecer uma tecnologia inovadora de monitorização florestal capaz de recolher e transmitir, em tempo real, informação detalhada sobre o estado fisiológico das árvores e as condições ambientais envolventes.
A sessão teve início com um conjunto de apresentações técnicas dedicadas à gestão sustentável do montado e da floresta mediterrânica, ao funcionamento dos sensores Tree Talkers e à interpretação dos dados recolhidos pela tecnologia.
Seguiu-se uma demonstração prática em campo, durante a qual os participantes puderam observar os sensores instalados numa área florestal, compreender os parâmetros monitorizados e visualizar exemplos de resultados obtidos em condições reais.
Os Tree Talkers permitem monitorizar indicadores como o crescimento das árvores, o fluxo de seiva, a disponibilidade hídrica e outras variáveis ambientais relevantes, contribuindo para uma melhor compreensão da resposta das árvores a diferentes fatores de stress e apoiando uma gestão florestal mais informada e sustentável.
A sessão ficou ainda marcada pela participação ativa dos presentes, que colocaram diversas questões sobre as potencialidades da tecnologia e as suas aplicações em contexto florestal.
O InnovPlantProtect agradece a todos os participantes pela sua presença e interesse, bem como à Herdade de Rui Vaz pela disponibilidade para acolher a iniciativa.
Sobre o projeto BioLivingLABs
A ação foi realizada no âmbito do projeto BioLivingLABS: Bioeconomy at the service of the sustainability of inland territories, cofinanciado pelo COMPETE 2030, que visa aproximar a ciência das empresas e dos produtores, transformando os resultados da investigação em soluções práticas e sustentáveis que tragam valor económico e ambiental aos territórios de baixa densidade das regiões Norte, Centro e Alentejo.
O consórcio integra cinco instituições de investigação e inovação – o Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, o Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, o Laboratório Colaborativo Montanhas de Investigação (MORE), o Laboratório Colaborativo InnovPlantProtect e o Centro de Valorização e Transferência de Tecnologia da Água (AquaValor).
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated annually on February 11, is an initiative created in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly to recognize the relevant role played by women and girls in the production of scientific and technological knowledge.
“Exploring careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): her voice in science” was the theme chosen for this year, with the aim of raising awareness among civil society of the importance of breaking down the barriers imposed by inequality between men and women in access to education and careers in science and innovation, as shared in the official information on UNESCO's website.
In recent decades there has been an increase in the participation of women in science research activities, opening up and exploring new paths that have also benefited the younger generations by arousing their interest and greater attendance at higher education.
Portugal is a good example, as Portuguese women scientists represent almost 50% of the total number of researchers in our country, with remarkable work that has been fundamental to the progress that national science and technology have made in recent decades.
Since its creation, the InPP has valued and supported scientific and technological development through multiple projects in a wide variety of areas, where female leadership has had a positive track record, contributing to the expansion of the collaborative laboratory, the creation of valuable partnerships and the transfer of knowledge to the business environment.
This expansion has led to a consequent increase in scientific advances which, together with the latest technologies, improve the competitiveness of the economy and add value to the area of biotechnology and plant health, for preventing and combating pests and diseases in agricultural crops.
To mark this date, we are highlighting the 24 women who are innovating in Portugal in the biotechnology and crop protection sector, and who represent the science and innovation being developed at InPP. These are some of the women who embody the words commitment, demand, resilience, overcoming, quality, talent, excellence and creativity. But there are many more and today, as every day, we celebrate them.
InPP's innovation manager, Paulo Madeira, took part in the Meeting with rice farmers and technicians in Portugal, promoted by the Operational and Technological Center for Rice (COTArroz), which took place on February 5 at COTArroz's premises in Salvaterra de Magos.
The aim of this meeting was to provide information on the use of herbicides and solutions, such as biostimulants for rice cultivation, to help mitigate the impact of pyriculariosis, one of the diseases that most affects this cereal worldwide and also in Portugal.
Moments of sharing knowledge and experiences like these not only contribute to the evolution of the sector, but also give us hope for the future of cereal growing!
Special thanks to COTArroz for the invitation to take part in the event. We look forward to your visit to Elvas, to get to know the work of our CoLAB and to explore possibilities for collaboration.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) celebrated its 6th anniversary this Friday, January 24, 2025, at the Auditorium of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) - Elvas Pole, in Elvas, with 120 guests in attendance.
The commemorative session was attended by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, who was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Agriculture, João Moura, the vice-president of the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Alentejo) who holds the agriculture portfolio, Roberto Grilo, and the President of INIAV, IP, Nuno Canada. Also present at the commemoration was the councillor from Elvas Municipal Council (CM), representing José Rondão Almeida, the mayor of Elvas.
The welcome session was led by António Saraiva, InPP's executive director, who began by thanking all the guests present, and especially INIAV, the Municipality of Elvas and the associates for all their support. The executive director, who took up his post in December last year, congratulated the entire InPP team, to a standing ovation from all the guests present at the celebration: “Today is our day. We're six years old!”.
After two months as CEO, António Saraiva considers CoLAB to be a “true case study”, with “training skills, professional experience and a dedicated 100% human resources team that has attracted and retained talent from the north to the south of the country and also from Madeira, but also from abroad”. InPP already has an international team of 46 employees of 10 nationalities.
The InPP “has been a very attractive option for highly qualified work for young people in the region and the Alentejo, (...) working for the benefit of the competitiveness of Agriculture”, he stressed. “We are contributing to the modernization of agriculture so that it can respond to the needs of its professionals and the expectations of society.”.
António Saraiva, executive director of the InPP, during the welcoming session for participants in the 6th Anniversary of the InPP
The InnovPlantProtect brand is already a recognized reference throughout the country, particularly in the agricultural sector and, according to António Saraiva, “the importance of InPP goes far beyond the Alentejo region”, recalling the concept behind its creation: to develop an R&D laboratory capable of responding to the lack of phytosanitary solutions that agricultural producers have been experiencing, with a focus on crops from the Mediterranean region.
For six years, CoLAB has been developing bioinspired products, such as bioprotectants and biostimulants, as well as laboratory and digital services “provided to all those who come to us. We are helping to meet the needs of the countryside and companies in the agricultural sector,” he emphasized. InPP currently has more than a hundred partners and clients, in projects and collaborations, and in the provision of technical and scientific assistance services.
The seven national and international patent applications already produced by CoLAB to protect crops against various diseases that affect them at regional and national level were also highlighted in the executive director's speech. “We hope to have three more patent applications by the end of this year. It's a lengthy and very intense process, but we're going to do it,” he said.
Another of the points addressed by the CoLAB leader was the visit by the president of the National Innovation Agency (ANI), António Grilo, on January 20th. The president of ANI “left a positive note of InPP's excellent work, materialized mainly in the results obtained with the registration of patents, but was unable to say anything about the funding model after 2025”.
The executive director ended his speech by alerting the minister to the need for CoLABs to be informed “in good time” about the funding available after 2025 “so that we can project our future activity, and so that the team can focus on what is essential and not lose its focus”.
After the welcome session, there was a session entitled “What innovation is produced at InPP?”, in which two department directors, Cristina Azevedo and Ricardo Ramiro, introduced their teams and gave examples of biopesticides that are effective against the diseases fire blight and pyriculariosis in rice, a broad-spectrum biofungicide against gray rot in tomatoes, as well as the use of drones and artificial intelligence to monitor pests in the main agricultural crops.
One of the latest innovations is the iCountPests app, which not only reduces the time invested in monitoring and creating a pest history, but also contributes to better management of the pests present in the farmer's field, democratizing access to technology.
From left to right: Cristina Azevedo, director of the New Biopesticides Department; Ricardo Ramiro, director of the Data Management and Risk Analysis Department; João Moura, Secretary of State for Agriculture; and José Manuel Fernandes, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, during the session “What innovation is produced at the InPP?”
The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, was in charge of the closing session. To the words heard during the speech by the executive director of InPP, “entrepreneurship and passion”, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries chose the word “ambition” to kick off the closing session. “We have to have the ambition to make things happen, to take risks, to not be afraid, to move forward,” he added.
The minister highlighted the word ambition when referring to the seven patents that are currently underway and also stressed the “absolutely essential” role of applied research in creating real impact in the agricultural sector and local communities, giving the example of the fire blight disease that affects pear and apple trees, “a challenge that we have to overcome” and for which the InPP team has already filed the first international patent application.
During his speech, José Manuel Fernandes not only didn't forget the “other pests and diseases”, he also said that “climate change, as we all know, is here and we have to make a collaborative effort, seeking to share what is being done in European terms.”
The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries congratulated the InPP team “not only for all their work, but for allowing me to be here with you” and was pleased that it was made up largely of young people, when in the agricultural sector at national level the average age is one of the highest in the European Union, at 64, and “what we are trying to do is generational renewal. I'm very pleased when I only see young people, and young people whose faces show joy, which means that this glow you see is a sign of hope, of confidence, and with a multicultural team, that can only add to it.”
“You can count on us, on our support, but we are also counting on you to change what is an urgent need, which is to change the perception of agriculture: an agriculture that is increasingly modern, an agriculture that needs to be rejuvenated, where the farmer's income needs to be improved and an agriculture that is essential for our food security, and for our strategic autonomy,” he concluded.
José Manuel Fernandes, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, during the closing session of the 6th Anniversary of the InPP
The InnovPlantProtect team with the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, during the session commemorating the 6th anniversary of the InPP.
The session continued with a drink for the guests, during which InPP was congratulated with a birthday cake.
The balance of the commemorative event was positive, having been able to attract the Elven community, representatives of various companies and agricultural producers, and the academic community.
After six years, InPP promotes the transfer of knowledge, reinforces its position as a CoLAB capable of fostering the development of new technologies, products and services with a strong technological and innovation component, and strengthens its commitment to promoting solutions that make a difference in tackling the various challenges of agricultural crop protection.
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