The executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, took part in the conference “What are the challenges facing the national agroforestry sector over the next decade?”, which took place at the Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra (ESAC) of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra last Tuesday, April 22.
The event, which brought together more than 150 participants and was organized by 17 national Competence Centres, discussed topics such as innovation, sustainability, soil conservation, monitoring cork oak forests and efficient agricultural management.
António Saraiva was part of the panel of commentators, whose speaker was Pedro Santos, Director General of CONSULAI, and moderated by Maria Custódia Correia, Coordinator of the AKIS Portugal Network. The opening session was attended by the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, who announced the publication of the Ordinance of April 21 to open the Grant for Initiatives for the creation of Operational Groups (OG).
This initiative provides a total of 11 million euros for new GOs, with a maximum of 350,000 euros per project and eligible funding of 100%.
The GOs are considered crucial structures for transferring knowledge and strengthening the AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System).
Special thanks to the 17 Competence Centers for the opportunity to participate in this productive meeting!
Beyond strategy: The secret ingredient of innovation
On the path to success, organizations define strategies, plan each step, and invest in crucial resources such as the sale of services and products, project applications, the development of solid business plans, and the protection of intellectual property. However, there is an often-neglected element that is fundamental to the flourishing of innovation: serendipity. But what exactly is this mysterious force, and why is it so vital to advancing agriculture and so many other areas?
When chance opens doors: The power of unplanned discovery
Serendipity lies in the art of finding something valuable when looking for something else. It's the unintentional discoveries that arise from unexpected situations. Throughout history, some of the most transformative innovations have not been the result of a rigorous plan, but rather of a fortuitous encounter with the unknown. Although deliberate research and methodical experimentation are pillars of scientific and technological progress, openness to the unexpected proves to be a powerful catalyst. When researchers cultivate this openness, they often come across revelations that have the potential to revolutionize entire industries, transform technologies, and expand our understanding of the world around us.
A close look at the “error”: The genesis of an innovative biofungicide
Today, we unveil the surprising and inspiring story of Maria Miguel, a talented researcher from the InPP's New Biopesticides Department, whose insight transformed a fortuitous event into a discovery of inestimable value: a broad-spectrum biofungicide capable of combating Botrytis cinerea, the relentless fungus responsible for the devastating gray mold disease in tomato plants. This pathology represents one of the greatest phytosanitary challenges in tomato cultivation, especially when grown in greenhouses, causing significant losses to producers if not controlled in a timely manner.
From discard to discovery: An investigator's insight
The journey of this discovery began in a scenario familiar to any researcher: the observation of Petri dishes, used to grow cell or microorganism cultures. In Maria Miguel's Petri dishes, colonies of the fungus Botrytis cinerea were growing, intentionally introduced there for study. However, something else caught her attention: one of the plates was contaminated by mold, and curiously, a clear zone surrounded this intruder. Instead of discarding the plate and ignoring it as mere contamination, Maria Miguel decided to investigate the reason behind that clear area. Her curiosity revealed that the mold had a surprising ability to inhibit the growth of Botrytis cinerea in its vicinity.
“Sometimes we look at something and think it's a mistake. The truth is that within a failure, there can be something good,” shares the researcher. The emotion and enthusiasm of a researcher when realizing that what at first seemed like an obstacle, a negative result, can actually be an opportunity, is contagious. For Maria Miguel, this “error” transformed into a serendipitous discovery with enormous potential.
Maria Miguel, a researcher at the InPP's Department of New Biopesticides, transformed an unexpected event into a groundbreaking discovery: a broad-spectrum biofungicide to combat gray mold in tomato plants.
Beyond chance: The active ingredients of scientific discovery
As the story of this biofungicide demonstrates, the world of science is full of examples of discoveries that arose from the unexpected. One of the most famous cases is the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928. While observing Petri dishes, Fleming noticed that a mold was producing a substance that eliminated Staphylococcus aureus bacteria around it. He identified the mold as Penicillium notatum and named his revolutionary antibiotic penicillin. Penicillin ended up becoming an extremely important drug for fighting infections.
However, chance is not the only protagonist of these important revelations. “Sometimes we have to follow our intuition and be able to prove that we are right or wrong,” explains Maria Miguel. In addition to intuition, a generous dose of curiosity, an open mind to accept unexpected results, a solid scientific knowledge, and the ability to see and advance to further investigations on surprising results play a crucial role in the alchemy of discovery.
The ecosystem of discovery: Fostering an environment conducive to innovation
There are other ingredients that contribute to the recipe for scientific success:
Creativity: The ability to generate new perspectives, concepts, questions, or solutions, and the willingness to explore existing ideas under a new light.
Flexibility: The courage to venture into unknown territories without fear of failure, thus increasing the odds of serendipitous encounters.
But no discovery flourishes in isolation. At InPP, the strong team spirit and culture of collaboration transcend departmental boundaries. Maria Miguel's discovery is a testament to this synergy, as she herself acknowledges: “My colleagues opened doors so that I could do my research.”
To foster innovation, organizations need to cultivate an environment that stimulates open discussions and connects people from diverse areas of knowledge and life experiences, without judgment; that encourages curiosity and receptiveness to new experiences; and that promotes a relentless pursuit of improving scientific knowledge, the fertile ground where serendipity can germinate.
Sowing the future: The impact of a discovery and the path of research
Although Maria Miguel is about to embark on a new journey, driven by a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral fellowship - a program that supports the career of researchers and promotes excellence and innovation in research - her legacy at InPP is already flourishing. Her innovative discovery is opening new and promising doors for future research in the area of crop protection, demonstrating how, at times, it is in the unexpected that the potential to transform our world lies.
Beyond strategy: The secret ingredient of innovation
On the road to success, organizations define strategies, plan every step and invest in crucial resources such as selling services and products, applying for projects, drawing up solid business plans and protecting intellectual property. However, there is an element that is often overlooked, but which is fundamental to the flourishing of innovation: serendipity. But what exactly is this mysterious force and why is it so vital to the advancement of agriculture and so many other areas?
When chance opens doors: The power of unplanned discovery
Serendipity is the art of finding something valuable when you're looking for something else. It's the unintentional discoveries that arise from unexpected situations. Throughout history, some of the most transformative innovations have not been the result of a rigorous plan, but rather a chance encounter with the unknown. While deliberate research and methodical experimentation are pillars of scientific and technological progress, openness to the unexpected proves to be a powerful catalyst. When researchers cultivate this openness, they often stumble upon revelations that have the potential to revolutionize entire industries, transform technologies and expand our understanding of the world around us.
A close look at “error”: The genesis of an innovative biofungicide
Today, we unveil the surprising and inspiring story of Maria Miguel, a talented researcher from InPP's New Biopesticides Department, whose acumen turned a chance event into a priceless discovery: a broad-spectrum biofungicide capable of combating the Botrytis cinerea, the relentless fungus responsible for the devastating gray rot disease in tomato plants. This pathology represents one of the biggest phytosanitary challenges in tomato cultivation, especially when grown in greenhouses, causing significant losses to producers if it is not controlled in good time.
From discard to discovery: The insight of a researcher
The journey of this discovery began in a setting familiar to any researcher: the observation of Petri dishes, used to grow cultures of cells or microorganisms. On Maria Miguel's plates, colonies of the fungus Botrytis cinerea were growing, intentionally introduced there for study. However, something else caught her eye: one of the plates was contaminated by mold, and curiously, a clear area surrounded this intruder. Instead of discarding the plate and dismissing it as mere contamination, Maria Miguel decided to investigate the reason behind the clear area. Her curiosity revealed that the mold had a surprising ability to prevent the growth of Botrytis cinerea in its vicinity.
“Sometimes we look at something and think it's a mistake. The truth is that in a failure there can be something good,” the researcher shares. The excitement and enthusiasm of a researcher realizing that what at first glance seemed like an obstacle, a negative result, could actually be an opportunity, is contagious. For Maria Miguel, this “mistake” turned into a serendipitous discovery with enormous potential.
Maria Miguel, a researcher at InPP's New Biopesticides Department, who turned an unexpected event into a discovery that changed the course of her work: a broad-spectrum biofungicide to combat gray rot in tomato plants.
Beyond chance: The active ingredients of scientific discovery
As the history of this biofungicide shows, the world of science is full of examples of discoveries that came out of the blue. One of the most famous cases is Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1928. While observing Petri dishes, Fleming noticed that a mold was producing a substance that eliminated bacteria Staphylococcus aureus around him. He identified the mold as Penicillium notatum and named his revolutionary antibiotic penicillin. Penicillin ended up becoming an extremely important medicine for fighting infections.
However, chance is not the only protagonist of these important revelations. “Sometimes we have to follow our intuition and be able to prove ourselves right or wrong,” explains Maria Miguel. In addition to intuition, a generous dose of curiosity, an open mind to accept unexpected results, solid scientific knowledge and the ability to see and move on to further research into surprising results play a crucial role in the alchemy of discovery.
The discovery ecosystem: Fostering an environment conducive to innovation
There are other ingredients that contribute to the recipe for scientific success:
Creativity: The ability to generate new perspectives, concepts, questions or solutions, and the willingness to explore existing ideas in a new light.
Flexibility: The courage to venture into unknown territory without the fear of failure, thus increasing the chances of serendipitous encounters.
But no discovery flourishes in isolation. At InPP, the strong team spirit and culture of collaboration transcend departmental boundaries. The case of Maria Miguel's discovery is testimony to this synergy, as she herself acknowledges: “My colleagues opened doors so that I could do my research”.
To foster innovation, organizations need to cultivate an environment that encourages open discussions and connects people from different areas of knowledge and life experiences, without judgment; that encourages curiosity and receptiveness to new experiences; and that promotes an incessant quest to improve scientific knowledge, the fertile ground where serendipity can germinate.
Sowing the future: The impact of a discovery and the path of research
Although Maria Miguel is about to embark on a new journey, boosted by a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD scholarship - a program that supports the careers of researchers and promotes excellence and innovation in research - her legacy at InPP is already flourishing. Her groundbreaking discovery is opening promising new doors for future research in the field of crop protection, demonstrating how sometimes it is in the unexpected that the potential to transform our world lies.
“InnovPlantProtect (InPP) uses state-of-the-art biological and digital knowledge to work together with producers, plant protection and seed companies, research institutions and local authorities to solve the problems posed to Mediterranean agriculture by climate change, the reduced availability of active ingredients for crop protection and the emergence of new pests and diseases for which there are no prevention and combat solutions,” says Pedro Fevereiro, InPP's executive director, in a press conference. Voz do Campo magazine.
InPP is featured in the February edition of Voz do Campo magazine and its online edition, with an opinion article entitled “InnovPlantProtect: 5 years of a Collaborative Laboratory for the protection of Mediterranean crops”, which includes an “x-ray” of the 5 years of existence of the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) carried out by InPP's executive director.
And as far as the future is concerned, Pedro Fevereiro has some clues: “We will continue to invest in the development of innovation for crop protection using biological compounds or living organisms from different sources and types, with a view to the circular economy and sustainability, adding value to products through their industrial protection and subsequent sale.”.
This Wednesday, February 7, we had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation of members of the Angolan Embassy to the InnovPlantProtect (InPP) facilities, accompanied by the Mayor of Elvas, José Rondão Almeida.
During the visit, the ambassador of the Republic of Angola, Maria de Jesus Ferreira, as well as 1st secretary Analberto Guilherme and 3rd secretary Maria da Conceição Pimenta, had the opportunity to get to know the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB), the laboratories and find out a little more about the work and the different areas of activity being explored by the five departments of CoLAB.
This was a great opportunity to identify and discuss future opportunities for new partnerships, collaborations and projects.
I would like to thank the delegation from the Angolan embassy for their visit.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) celebrated its fifth anniversary this Wednesday, January 24th, at 2pm, in the building of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) - Elvas Pole, in Elvas, with the presence of 120 guests. The commemorative event, which brought together InPP members, different representatives of the innovation ecosystem, representatives of other collaborative laboratories (CoLAB) in the agri-food sector, producer associations, farmers and policy makers, aimed to take stock of the 5 years of CoLAB activity and explore prospects for the future.
The afternoon began with the opening session, which was attended by Margarida Oliveira, chairman of the InPP Board of Directors, who warned of the need for more sustainable crop protection solutions than the current ones, reducing the negative impacts on food safety and agrosystems, adding that the new export markets have tighter certification processes, in which there is greater control, and therefore the new solutions should focus on crops that can be grown in the region, i.e. Mediterranean crops.
InPP, an initiative of the New University of Lisbon (UNL) led by the Green-it research center of the Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (in Oeiras), in cooperation with other UNL scientific units, “is one of the 41 approved CoLABs that make up the existing CoLAB network in Portugal, and one of the 7 that is based in regions of low population density and the only one whose area of activity is the protection of agricultural crops,” said the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The 14 members that currently make up CoLAB were also highlighted. In 2023, the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre and Lusosem joined the 12 members that make up InPP, such as the Municipality of Elvas, universities, R&D centers, agricultural companies and producers“ associations. ”However, we intend to increase this number and include all the educational and research institutions in the Alentejo and also increase the number of associated agricultural companies," said Margarida Oliveira.
CoLAB's first five years were about “setting up the conditions, getting the project off the ground, starting to show results (...) and demonstrating credibility in the field. This is extremely important in order to move on to the next phase because you can't win competitive projects with a team that isn't recognized as having quality,” he explained.
According to the chairwoman of the Board of Directors, for the next phase “we need to find someone to promote the products that are coming out of the InPP team's work and someone to obtain contracts that will ensure InPP's viability when public funds reduce” due to the institution's coming of age.
Currently, InPP develops innovative bio-inspired and digital solutions to protect crops, develops services according to users' needs, promotes more sustainable agriculture, adaptable to climate change and in solidarity with the environment, and takes on board the European Union's environmental, climate and digital transition directives.
Margarida Oliveira ended her speech by pointing out that “maintaining a CoLAB like the InPP is something critical for the country and something we not only need, but have a duty to invest in”.
The Secretary of State for Regional Development, Isabel Ferreira, began her speech by recalling the network of collaborative laboratories, initially designed by Manuel Reitor, Portugal's former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, who prioritized inland regions as places to set up CoLABs.
“Collaborative laboratories are still very young, but today we can be proud to have a network of CoLABs spread throughout the country (...) and also in different themes (...) that result from what is most important for the territory where they are located. In the case of InPP (...) it is undoubtedly today an essential driving force for the development of the Alentejo region (...) which is the interface between the Academy and the socio-economic/productive fabric, the companies,” said the Secretary of State.
Isabel Ferreira congratulated the work carried out by the entire team that makes up the InPP, “especially on issues that are so relevant to what is the country's strategy for 2030 (...), aligned with the European context and which is of enormous importance for the European Union's environmental, climate and digital transition directives”.
The InPP's “obvious” contribution to mitigating the impact of climate change on crops was also highlighted by the Secretary of State, “who knows that today [crops] face such important challenges that require increasingly focused research and an increasingly rapid response, and only by working in a network, in partnership, can this be achieved.”
When asked about the ease of attracting highly qualified human resources to the interior territories, particularly to Elvas, the Secretary of State's answer left no room for doubt: “They will never have any difficulties because the project is attractive, the job they are offering is a highly qualified, motivating job and, therefore, people come and stay. And this is a very powerful weapon for territorial cohesion and the development of the interior.”.
Isabel Ferreira ended her speech by saying that it has been a “real privilege” to witness the growth of CoLAB, which has gone through a process with different stages, from signing, recovering facilities and obtaining state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, and which has culminated in the evolution of these structures with “competence and quality”.
At 3:15 p.m., the session “What innovation is produced at InPP?” took place, in which the five department directors Cristina Azevedo, Sandra Correia, David Learmonth (three photos above, from left to right), Ricardo Ramiro and iLaria Marengo (two photos below, from left to right), presented their teams and the work they have been able to develop, as well as the new technologies, products and services that have been produced in the various areas of CoLAB's activity.
“We want to create value through the management of living organisms in the farmer's field. This is the purpose of the InPP”. These were the words chosen by InPP's executive director, Pedro Fevereiro, to kick off the closing session, which took place from 4pm.
The executive director considers the InnovPlantProtect brand to already be a recognized reference throughout the country, particularly in the agricultural sector, and emphasized the four patents already produced by CoLAB to protect crops against various diseases that affect them at regional and national level and the more than 2 million euros raised in 8 innovation and development projects that are currently active, one of which is the first CoLAB project funded by the international Horizon Europe program.
One of CoLAB's latest innovations - the InPP app store, which is in the final stages of development and will soon be available to farmers - was also highlighted. The app aims to give users access to six applications that the team has been developing.
What about the future? Pedro Fevereiro believes that if the “good pace” of innovation production and patent creation continues, and if the ability to attract contracts with companies and producers who want to see their problems solved and who turn to InPP increases, CoLAB will be able to complete the 1/3 of funding from its own revenues that is required of CoLABs.
For InPP, the executive director aims to increase interaction with the regional network through projects and partnerships, participate in the training of young people at various levels of schooling, extend the international network, ensure budgetary sustainability and guarantee jobs.
Pedro Fevereiro thanked the Minister for Territorial Cohesion for all the support and funding that her Ministry has made available to CoLAB whenever difficulties have arisen, the Municipality of Elvas, NOVA University, INIAV, the National Innovation Agency (ANI), InPP's associates and the human resources that make up the InPP team.
“InPP is about people. (...) Everything else is just talk. If we don't have these people with us, we don't have patents, we don't have InPP, we don't have anything. We owe this to them,” he concluded.
The second speaker at the closing session was Hermenegildo Rodrigues, a councillor from Elvas Municipal Council (CM), who was present on behalf of José Rondão Almeida, president of Elvas Municipal Council, and who began by highlighting the work carried out by the InPP over the last five years and identifying the “added value it brings to the municipality, the region and the world of science, and, at the same time, its proactivity with the farming and school community, both through contracts and partnerships, protocols that have raised awareness, changed habits and added knowledge”.
The Elvas city councilor continued his speech with the topic of CoLAB's internationalization, saying that “it is to the credit of all the professionals who work here, for the way they have integrated, dignified and interacted with Elvish society, and for the work they have done, and for fostering collaboration between the various players”.
The municipality's support for InPP was reinforced in the words of Hermenegildo Rodrigues: “It's up to us, the local authorities, to keep the door open, your door. We will, as always, be available to walk side by side in the search for solutions that make strategies and objectives viable. (...) From us to you, thank you very much,” he concluded.
The closing session continued with Gonçalo Rodrigues, Secretary of State for Agriculture, representing the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Maria do Céu Antunes, who highlighted the role of the country's inland regions for agricultural activity.
“This CoLAB is about bringing the countryside, which is often “ostracized and forgotten” (in the words of Hérman José, quoted by the Secretary of State), but which is actually at the heart of it all. This is where agriculture is. The urban environment, unfortunately, continues to create a gap with the rural world. But we also have to bring in this experience, bring in academia, bring in scientists, to feel the land, to feel the countryside, and then somehow produce what are the necessary tools for the development of this basic economic activity, (...) without which we wouldn't have quality, safe food on our shelves,” recalled the Secretary of State for Agriculture.
In his speech, Gonçalo Rodrigues stressed the importance of the InPP in making the agricultural sector more sustainable, innovative and competitive: “This is a demonstration of what a collaborative laboratory should be. (...) I would venture to say that few or perhaps very few have had or have the success that we find here at the InPP. It must also serve as a flagship for what is done well in our country and try to transfer this capacity to others, materializing it in our sector. This is what our agriculture needs,” he concluded.
The session ended with a speech by the Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, who thanked the municipality and the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Alentejo) for their support for the InPP, which, according to the minister, she hopes will continue to be given to this project.
For Ana Abrunhosa, “[the InPP] has helped us a lot to get across the idea that quality research can and should be done anywhere, as long as the essential conditions are met”.
“It's a benchmark project, which carries out scientific research at the highest level, attracts talent (...) from different geographical origins, some of whom have had the opportunity to return to our country after their world experience, through this project. What's very important about these projects is that they guarantee fair pay, with excellent working qualities. And if we add to all this that this project is located in this beautiful city in the countryside, (...) the quality of life is exceptional,” he said.
The Minister for Territorial Cohesion continued her speech by reiterating the government's support for CoLABs, because according to her “there is no better use for European funds than projects like this”. Government support for the CoLAB network began in 2020, with the Portugal 2020 program, and will continue until 2030, with the current Portugal 2030 program.
“We spend our lives trying to invent the wheel. This is an example [of a project, the InPP] that we can give and that we would very much like to multiply throughout the rest of our country and, above all, it's important that those who have responsibility do so,” he concluded.
From 4.45 p.m. guests gathered for a drink and to sing happy birthday to InPP with 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 five 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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