InnovPlantProtect (InPP) recently received approval for an application submitted to COMPETE2030-2024-6 - Collective Actions - Transfer of scientific and technological knowledge - BioLivingLABS - Bioeconomy at the service of the sustainability of inland territories, led by MORE CoLAB - Laboratório Colaborativo Montanhas de Investigação, Associação, in partnership with the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB) and AQUAVALOR.
BioLivingLABS aims to promote the economic valorization of research and development (R&D) results obtained by various institutions in the North, Center and Alentejo. To this end, it will create an experimental demonstration network, the so-called Living Labs, The project will be held in the innovation hubs of Mirandela, Douro, Covilhã and Elvas. In addition, demonstration actions, workshops, an inland innovation catalog and training on intellectual property protection will be developed with the aim of encouraging the incorporation of innovative solutions in the business sectors of these regions.
Scheduled to begin in October and lasting 24 months, the project has a total eligible investment of over 740,000 euros, financed by COMPETE2030 - Thematic Program for Innovation and Digital Transition. For InPP, this project is a strategic opportunity to strengthen its mission as a center for technology development and transfer, boosting the practical application of scientific knowledge to promote sustainable development.
This initiative confirms InPP's commitment to open and sustainable innovation, integrating science, technology and regional development to respond to the challenges and potential of the interior of the country.
On September 18, the executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, the director of the New Biopesticides Department, Cristina Azevedo, and researcher Luís Grilo attended the Open Day “The Cereals of Baixo Mondego”, promoted by the Centro Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Centro), at the Bico da Barca Experimental Unit in Montemor-o-Velho.
The event highlighted the latest innovations from the Coimbra Innovation Hub, from new technologies applied to maize and rice, to fertilization strategies, protection and the use of biostimulants on these key crops in the Baixo Mondego region.
Our team also monitored trials with biofungicides, including the product I21, developed with our collaborative laboratory to combat pyriculariosis in two rice varieties, which is being patented.
In an interview with Voice of the Countryside, Cristina Azevedo shared the work we have been doing in the area of biosolutions.
Maize continues to be the Portugal's most important arable crop, The sector has a significant impact on food safety and the national agri-food industry. Involving thousands of producers and generating tens of millions of euros a year, the sector is currently facing increasingly complex phytosanitary challenges.
Among already known pests and emerging diseases, there are risks ranging from cartridge caterpillar until Maize Rugose Dwarfism Virus (MRDV), The presence of this virus is increasing in Portugal. This virus, transmitted by the corn leafhopper, can seriously compromise production and is found in the climate change increasingly favorable conditions for its spread.
However, it's not just MRDV that's worrying. There are new threats that require vigilance, such as the coleopter Diabrotica virgifera or the MDMV virus (Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus), already detected in neighboring countries, and also toxic weeds, such as the winter fig (Datura stramonium), which in addition to impacting productivity pose public health risks.
Faced with this reality, the answer is integrated and sustainable strategies, matching:
crop rotation and good agricultural practices;
careful use of insecticides to avoid resistance and environmental impacts;
resistant or tolerant varieties, where available;
research and technological innovation, including new digital tools for early detection.
As the InnovPlantProtect researcher points out, Nuno Faria, in the article entitled “The main emerging pests and diseases of the maize crop in Portugal”, available in the August edition of Voz do Campo magazine: “The phytosanitary panorama of maize in Portugal requires continuous vigilance, investment in research and the application of integrated and sustainable strategies capable of responding to an increasingly dynamic and unpredictable reality.”
To find out more about the main current risks and mitigation measures, read the full article published in the August issue of Voz do Campo magazine (pages 88-89), available on newsstands and online.
Last Monday, November 27, the closing session of the ABC project took place in the auditorium of the Escola Superior Agrária de Elvas (ESAE) of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, a project led by InnovPlantProtect (InPP) and financed by the Environmental Fund under the National Environmental Education Strategy 2020 program. The aim of the event was to give the students a voice, in different formats (posters, videos and others) that portrayed the themes that were developed during the project: sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, ecosystem services, citizen science and the circular economy. Rádio Elvas was invited to the event, as was Councillor Hermenegildo Rodrigues, representing Elvas Municipal Council. The opening session of the event was attended by the Director of ESAE, Rute Guedes dos Santos.
The InPP team began by presenting a summary of the event's program in multimedia format (“flash news”: ABC news). This was followed by a video summarizing the activities carried out during the last year of the project, both in the classroom and in the field, namely at the Reynolds Wine Growers estate in Arronches. Next, a group of students and teachers were interviewed in order to hear directly from them how they experienced the ABC project and what it meant to them. The ABC news continued with presentations of the students' work, in various formats, on the project's themes. We started with specific work on endophytic microorganisms, where an ESAE student, Henrique Canha, had the opportunity to do his internship and explained how microbiology can be used to help farmers.
The next moment was dedicated to the theme of the circular economy. The students presented four videos in interview format, aimed at various groups in our society (students, teachers, environmentalists, technicians and farmers), focusing mainly on the importance of the circular economy, but not only. There was also time to read a letter encouraging circular economy practices, written by the students of the D. Sancho II Secondary School and addressed to the Mayor of Elvas, Comendador Rondão de Almeida. Councillor Hermenegildo Rodrigues had the opportunity to respond to the letter and to inform the audience about current circular economy practices and those planned for the near future in the Municipality of Elvas.
Another of the topics covered was ecosystem services in vineyards. The students decided to present this topic in the form of a scientific poster. In this space, the student authors were interviewed about various topics in vineyard agroecology and the different types of benefits (services) that can be obtained with this approach. The next panel, in video format and entirely coordinated by ESAE students, was dedicated to microbiome activities, with testimonies from Nélson Martins, farm manager at Reynolds Wine Growers, higher education students and researchers on the current relevance of agricultural management based on improving the soil microbiome.
The event continued with a surprise theatrical performance by a group of students from the D. Sancho II Secondary School. In this short play, the students acted out an argument between three actors from our rural environment (farmer, citizen and scientist) on the subject of organic farming vs. conventional farming. For the originality and audacity of the actors, this activity was awarded a prize by the project team. The event ended with the screening of a video on citizen science prepared by a group of students from the D. Sancho II Secondary School. The project team considered this video elaborate and surprising, and it was also awarded a prize.
The ABC project leaves behind an educational program that established a collaboration between InPP and the local school and which helped students become aware of the tools they have at their disposal to promote biodiversity in agriculture, participate in a citizen science project, embrace the circular economy, understand the value of natural resources and the types of ecosystem services they provide.
Poster promoting the final event of the ABC - AgriBioCircular project
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the 6th edition of NOVA Science & Innovation Day, promoted by NOVA University Lisbon, at the Rectory facilities on the Campolide Campus in Lisbon, on November 21st.
NOVA Science & Innovation Day aimed to showcase the science, research and innovation of excellence at the University and was a unique opportunity for the academic community, as well as the general public, to get to know the scientific work carried out at NOVA University Lisbon and how it translates into innovation and the creation of value for society.
Throughout the day, an Innovation Fair was also held in the Rectory atrium, as part of the initiative. Visitors to the Fair had the opportunity to learn about the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) and what it is already doing for crop protection and pest and disease prevention, with a highly qualified team and very broad and diverse skills.
Other CoLABs, proprietary technologies and specialized services were also represented at the Innovation Fair, Spin-offs and other companies in the University's ecosystem.
NOVA Science & Innovation Day was a unique opportunity for the academic community and the public to get a closer look at the work of excellence carried out at NOVA University Lisbon, and how it translates into innovation and the creation of value for society.
1st photo - InPP stand at NOVA Science & Innovation Day. 2nd and 3rd photos - Inês Ferreira, InPP's communications manager, on the right, representing InPP
NOVA Science & Innovation Day took place at the Rectory of NOVA University Lisbon
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was in Lisbon on November 16 for the 4th Annual Meeting of Collaborative Laboratories (CoLAB), organized by the National Innovation Agency (ANI), which aimed to promote and monitor the activities and progressive evolution of the 41 currently recognized CoLABs, as well as their development in the context of regional, national and European research and innovation strategies.
The meeting, on the theme of “Innovation and Technological Valorization towards the Sustainable Development Goals”, brought together the CoLABs and some of the main players in the National Scientific and Technological System to participate in a discussion on the role of Research and Technology in addressing the SDGs, which was attended by some CoLABs, namely members of the BUILT CoLAB, from ForestWISE and DTX, They shared some of the best practices and success stories from their CoLABs. The moderator was Inês Sequeira, from Impact House.
Afterwards, the CoLAB had the opportunity to learn more about “Sustainable Funding Opportunities”, with the active presence of members of the European Commission, from the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Alentejo), the Mobilizing Agenda ILLIANCE, from the Mobilizing Agenda InsectERA - the ERA of insects, and ANI, as well as listening to the International Keynote, Jerry Sheehan, Director for Science, Technology, and Innovation, from OECD.
In the afternoon, CoLAB members had the opportunity to take part in a more practical activity, through a workshop that aimed to maximize the impact of the brand through collaboration. The annual CoLAB report was another of the topics covered.
This was an excellent opportunity to discuss how these entities can collaboratively contribute to solving the main challenges and most pressing issues of our time, putting innovation and knowledge at the service of society. It was also a moment to share good practices and exchange experiences.
Find out more about the event on the ANI website here.
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