News & Events

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NEWS

Seminar highlights CoLABs' contribution to the future of agricultural and agri-food innovation

On June 11th, InnovPlantProtect (InPP) held a seminar on “Six years of innovation: CoLABs” path to the future of the agricultural and agri-food sectors", at the National Agriculture Fair (FNA) in Santarém.

The event brought together, for the first time, six Collaborative Laboratories (CoLABs) with direct involvement in the agricultural and agri-food sectors: InnovPlantProtect, CoLAB4Food, FeedInov CoLAB, Food4Sustainability, MORE CoLAB and SmartFarmCoLAB.

The program included two round tables. The first, dedicated to “Innovation in Action: The Results and Impacts of CoLABs in Agriculture and Agrifood”, representatives from each CoLAB took part, presenting success stories and projects developed, with emphasis on the intervention of the innovation manager at InnovPlantProtect, Paulo Madeira, He shared InPP's achievements in developing solutions for more sustainable agriculture.

The second round table, under the theme “Partnerships for the Future: How CoLABs are Driving Innovation in the Agricultural and Agri-Food Sector”, The event was attended by partner companies and associations, who stressed the importance of collaborating with the CoLABs. Among the speakers were Pedro Viterbo, manager of Fertiprado, InnovPlantProtect's partner, accompanied by representatives of the following organizations Sense Test, Associação Portuguesa Dos Industriais De Alimentos Compostos Para Animais (IACA), Building Global Innovators (BGI), DEIFIL Technology and TeroMovigo.

The seminar ended with a moment of joint reflection, with speeches from all the executive directors of the CoLABs present, including the executive director of InnovPlantProtect, António Saraiva, The meeting was organized by the European Commission, which stressed the importance of cooperation and strategic coordination between the Collaborative Laboratories, reinforcing their collective commitment to innovation and sustainable development in the agricultural and agri-food sectors.

Throughout the seminar, the importance of synergies between science, innovation and the market became clear, as did the need to strengthen funding and guarantee conditions for the continuity and growth of these Collaborative Laboratories, whose impacts are already visible in the national agricultural and agri-food ecosystem.

This meeting was an important moment for sharing experiences and strengthening collaborative work, charting a joint path towards a more competitive, sustainable and innovative future for agriculture and agri-food in Portugal.

CoLABs in the spotlight at FNA: Innovation and Impact for Agriculture and Agrifood

O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) promotes the seminar “Six years of innovation: The path of CoLABs for the future of the agricultural and agri-food sectors”, on the next day June 11thfrom 09h30 until 11h00, in center stage at Espaço InsectERA, located in the Central Cloisters of the National Center for Agricultural Exhibitions and Markets (CNEMA) in Santarém.

The seminar aims to present the practical results and real impact of six Collaborative Laboratories (CoLABs) in Portugal - InnovPlantProtect, Colab4Food, FeedInov, Food4Sustainability, MORE and SmartFarmCoLAB. These interface infrastructures are essential pillars of the National Innovation System (SNI) and play a growing and essential role in the dynamics of innovation for agriculture and agri-food.

The event will be attended by members of the teams and partners of each of the CoLABs, who will talk about their vision of the added value of these interface and innovation entities, from the point of view of those who collaborate directly with them.

The initiative, which is part of the National Agriculture Fair (FNA) 2025, which this year has the theme “Biosolutions” and will be the stage for exploring the innovations that are shaping the future of the sector, brings together different representatives of the innovation ecosystem to show the role of CoLABs in stimulating the transfer of knowledge and making innovation available to agriculture and agri-food in Portugal, creating value and attracting highly qualified human resources to the country.

See the full program in the image below.

The registration for the event is free, but mandatory due to the limited capacity of the space. Guarantee your presence by filling in the available form here.

We look forward to welcoming you for a morning of sharing and debate on the future of innovation in the agricultural and agri-food sectors!

InPP participa na FNA25

Estamos em contagem decrescente para a Feira Nacional de Agricultura (FNA), uma das maiores feiras agrícolas do país!

É já de 7 a 15 de junho que o InPP vai estar na 61ª edição da Feira Nacional de Agricultura, que se realiza no CNEMA – Centro Nacional de Exposições, em Santarém.

O tema da edição deste ano é “Biosoluções”e pretende destacar a importância das soluções e tecnologias inovadoras no setor agroalimentar e na promoção de práticas mais sustentáveis e eficientes.

A FNA reúne agricultores, empresários e especialistas dos setores agroalimentar, pecuário e agrícola e é um excelente espaço para aumentar a nossa rede de contactos, trocar conhecimentos e apresentar as mais recentes tendências e soluções agrícolas que a nossa equipa tem desenvolvido.

Vai poder encontrar-nos no stand nº.18, à entrada do Espaço dos claustros, dedicado à Agenda InsectERA, entre as 10h e as 20h.

Venha visitar-nos. Esperamos por si!

EVENTS

AlViGen project kicks off with fieldwork to identify the fungus responsible for yellow rust on wheat

On February 27 and 28 and March 1 and 3, the “AlViGen: Creation of a hub in ALentejo for the GENomic Surveillance of diseases in agriculture” project team began its fieldwork by installing spore traps, known as capta-esporos, in wheat fields in Portalegre, Beja, Évora and Mérida. The traps make it possible to capture spores and identify the species of fungus circulating in the air and, in particular, variants of the fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici, causing yellow rust on wheat, as well as its virulence characteristics and resistance to fungicides.

In total, the spore traps were installed in eight wheat fields in the Alentejo (Alto, Central and Baixo) and Spanish Extremadura, two of the poorest regions in Europe, whose economy is largely dependent on agriculture, and in which the fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici has had a particular impact.

The aim of setting up these wheat fields is to implement a cross-border network of traps that capture spores from the air and enable early detection of fungi circulating in the air.

The team will collect samples on a weekly/fortnightly basis, for 3 months a year, during the wheat production cycle. Regular monitoring of the diversity of fungal species circulating on wheat fields will also make it possible to detect the appearance of new pathogenic fungi.

Manuel Patanita, a lecturer at the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja), by Benvindo Maçãs and José Coutinho, director and researcher at the INIAV of Elvas, respectively, and Paulo Velez, production manager at the CERSUL - Southern Cereal Producers Group.

AlViGen, coordinated by InnovPlantProtect (InPP) in partnership with the University of Évora (WOW), was one of the innovative pilot projects selected last October and funded by the La Caixa Foundation, BPI Bank and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), as part of the 4th edition of the Promove Program. This project will enable InPP to create the capacity for early detection of multiple crop diseases, using molecular methods that allow the identification of important characteristics of pathogens, such as virulence, susceptible varieties and resistance to phytopharmaceuticals, benefiting producers and government authorities.

Find out more about the AlViGen project at webpage of the project here.

FINANCING

InPP e DGAV celebram protocolo de cooperação

O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) e a Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária (DGAV) assinaram, no passado dia 16 de fevereiro, um protocolo de cooperação com o objetivo de continuar a colaborar no desenvolvimento de novos serviços e projetos que permitam monitorizar a presença da bactéria Xylella fastidiosa nas culturas agrícolas, através de sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG), bem como fazer a gestão de dados que daqui resultem. 

O protocolo de cooperação foi assinado pela Diretora Geral da DGAV, Susana Guedes Pombo, e pelo Diretor Executivo do InPP, Pedro Fevereiro. 

Esperamos que esta parceria possa crescer cada vez mais e possa evidenciar a excelência do trabalho colaborativo!

InnovPlantProtect participa no Encontro dos Produtores de Frutas e Legumes do Clube de Produtores Continente

O Encontro dos Produtores de Frutas e Legumes do Clube de Produtores Continente decorreu na passada quarta-feira, dia 15 de fevereiro, entre as 10h00 e as 13h30, no pólo do INIAV, em Elvas, e pretendeu apresentar os desafios e oportunidades nos setores da horticultura e fruticultura em Portugal, bem como os projetos que estão a ser implementados pelo Clube com o objetivo de atingir uma produção hortofrutícola mais competitiva, inovadora e sustentável.

No encontro o diretor executivo do InnovPlantProtect, Pedro Fevereiro, deu a conhecer ao Clube de Produtores o trabalho que tem sido desenvolvido pela equipa para encontrar soluções para combater pragas e doenças nas culturas agrícolas e apresentou os serviços laboratoriais e digitais que temos disponíveis para agricultores e empresas, reforçando a possibillidade de desenvolver um serviço personalizado e à medida de cada cliente.

Os diretores de departamento Ilaria Marengo e Ricardo Ramiro falaram sobre a gestão e apresentação de dados na Agricultura, bem como sobre os métodos de monitorização de pragas e doenças que os seus departamentos têm utilizado.

A iniciativa reuniu mais de uma centena de participantes e contou com as intervenções de David Monteiro, Diretor Comercial de Frutas e Legumes do Continente, Ondina Afonso, Presidente do Clube de Produtores Continente, e Marta Barradas, Técnica de Mercado do Clube de Produtores Continente.

No final da manhã, os produtores tiveram a oportunidade de visitar as instalações do laboratório colaborativo.

Este foi mais um passo importante para nos darmos a conhecer ao setor agroalimentar.

No futuro, o InPP pretende continuar a conversar com produtores locais e discutir quais são as principais problemáticas com que se deparam diariamente em relação às pragas e doenças das suas culturas agrícolas, bem como tornar as aplicações e tecnologia que temos desenvolvido mais acessível aos produtores.