InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the Science 2025 Meeting in Lisbon, at the Nova SBE Campus, to take part in the parallel session “Crop Protection for One Health, and Food and Environmental Sustainability”.
The Encontro Ciência took place from July 9 to 11 at the NOVA SBE Campus in Carcavelos, with the motto “Science, Innovation and Society”. Portugal's largest science and technology meeting was the stage for promoting and discussing the scientific, social, cultural and economic impact of research in Portugal, exploring the intersection between science, innovation and society, to inspire new ideas and foster transformative collaborations.
The director of the Data Management and Risk Analysis Department, Ricardo Ramiro, and the director of the New Biopesticides Department, Cristina Azevedo, presented some of the results of their work in this session co-moderated by the executive director, António Saraiva.
During the session, two important solutions for the agricultural sector, developed by our team, were presented:
iCountPests - an innovative app that uses AI to detect and count pests accurately and quickly in photos of chromotropic traps.
InPP 2 - a broad-spectrum biofungicide capable of fighting Botrytis cinerea, the fungus responsible for gray rot in tomatoes.
CoLAB MORE Colab - Collaborative Mountain Research Laboratory and Sfcolab - Collaborative Laboratory for Digital Innovation in Agriculture, were also present at the parallel session, as well as GREEN-IT, to discuss how science and innovation can tackle the challenges of climate change and promote more sustainable agricultural systems.
On June 30, InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the meeting “7 years of CoLABs: impacts and perspectives”, which brought together political decision-makers, experts from the Portuguese innovation ecosystem, leaders from different sectors, representatives of public and private entities and the representatives of the 41 Collaborative Laboratories (CoLAB), at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Lisbon.
The meeting, organized by the Forum of Collaborative Laboratories (FCoLAB), aimed to reflect on the impact of the work carried out by the different CoLABs over the last seven years, as well as to address future prospects and identify strategies to boost the contribution of scientific research and innovation to the economy and society.
This initiative was an opportunity to showcase the products, services and solutions developed by CoLAB over the last seven years, highlighting its contribution to innovation, competitiveness and sustainability in various sectors of the economy. The application recently launched by InPP, iCountPests, which allows pests to be counted automatically using images from traps, reducing the time invested in monitoring and making it possible to create a pest history, was also highlighted.
The event was attended by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, the Secretary of State for the Economy, João Rui Ferreira, Manuel Heitor, from the IN+ Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research and former Minister of Science and Innovation, António Grilo, President of ANI, among others.
In his speech, the Minister for Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, highlighted the purpose of science at national level: “We hope that the science created in Portugal will generate innovation. More than technology, innovation is the answer to society's problems. You are the agents of change!”.
During the session, the main activity indicators and proven impact of the first seven years of CoLABs' activity were also presented, and multisectoral perspectives on their role in the national science and innovation ecosystem were debated, focusing on topics such as socio-economic impact, internationalization, business competitiveness, technological innovation and sustainability.
The activity indicators and the impact of the 7 years of activity are as follows:
More than 260 projects approved
More than 1,300 qualified jobs created
19M€ in tax revenue generated
More than 900 interactions with companies
33 patent applications (10 granted)
680 scientific articles published
The two afternoon panels were attended by companies, partners and management entities, who reflected on the impact generated so far and presented proposals for maximizing CoLAB's long-term contribution to both the economy and Portuguese society.
At a time when the basic funding options for CoLABs are being discussed, this event is of the utmost importance. The area of crop protection, in particular, needs more investment in innovation. Holding this event was important for bringing this urgent and strategically important issue to the debate.
The InPP was also present in the exhibition area, receiving important visitors, including the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, the Secretary of State for the Economy, João Rui Ferreira, the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Helena Canhão, the President of the FCT, Madalena Alves, the President of the National Innovation Agency, António Grilo, the President of the National Monitoring Committee for the RRP, Pedro Dominguinhos and the Executive Director of Ciência Viva, Ana Noronha.
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.
Round table 1 - Sofia Couto (ANI), Paulo Madeira (InPP), André Mota (Colab4Food), Cristina Monteiro (FeedInov), Margarida Palma (Food4Sustainability), Albino Bento (MORE CoLAB), and Helena Vazão (SmartFarmCoLAB)Round table 2 - Isabel Martins (Vida Rural), Pedro Viterbo (Fertiprado), Rui Lima (SenseTest), Jaime Piçarra (IACA), Gonçalo Amorim (BGI), Andreia Afonso (Deifil Technology) and André Sá (TEROMOVIGO)Closing session - Tiago Pinto (ANPROMIS), António Saraiva (InPP), Miguel Teixeira (CoLAB4Food), Ana Sofia Santos (FeedInov), Nuno Serra (Food4Sustainability), Albino Bento (MORE CoLAB) and Helena Vazão (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.
Round table 1 - Paulo Madeira (InPP)Round table 2 - Pedro Viterbo (Fertiprado)Closing session - António Saraiva (InPP)
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.
InnovPlantProtect InPP, represented by the directors of the New Biopesticides and Specific Crop Protection departments, Cristina Azevedo and Sandra Correia, took part in the kick-off meeting for the VINNY project, which took place on July 25 and 26 in Porto.
The main objective of the VINNY consortium is to develop and implement sustainable solutions for viticulture, creating environmentally friendly biopesticides and biofertilizers, thus reducing dependence on harmful agrochemicals and promoting a healthier environment.
The purpose of the meeting was to present the main objectives and innovative solutions to be developed by the 19 partners from 10 countries that make up the consortium!
After the meeting there was still time to explore the Douro Valley Wine Region. On the second day, our directors had the opportunity to take a fantastic boat trip from Peso da Régua to Pinhão, a UNESCO World Heritage region and producer of the famous “Port Wine”.
Finally, the project partners visited the experimental field at Quinta do Pôpa and enjoyed a wine tasting.
Join us and stay updated on the progress of the VINNY Project!
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries that took place last Monday, July 22, at the BejaParque Hotel in Beja.
The aim of the meeting, which included MPs from the PSD, PS, Chega and PCP constituencies, was to listen to the players in the field, such as local authorities, associations, companies and other entities in the agricultural sector, to get to know the reality of agriculture and livestock farming in this region up close, and to find out about the successes, potential and constraints in the area.
Representing associations and companies in the agricultural sector were the Associação dos Regantes, Associação dos Criadores do Porco Alentejano, Associação de Agricultores do Campo Branco, Associação dos Jovens Agricultores de Moura, Cooperativa Agrícola de Moura e Barrancos, João Portugal Ramos, Lusomorango, Olivum, Pepe Aromas Lda, Portugal Nuts, Cooperativa Agrícola de Beja e Brinches and Associação de Agricultores do Sul (ACOS) and Almiberia Lda.
Problems related to the use of water resources in Alqueva and the revitalization of the Alentejo cork oak forest were some of the concerns presented by the sector to the Assembly of the Republic's Agriculture Committee, which visited the Baixo Alentejo district.
The meeting took place as part of a working visit to the Alentejo region from July 21 to 23.
Last Friday, July 19th, InnovPlantProtect (InPP) received a visit from the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre.
The minister came to Elvas to see the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB), where he was received by the executive director of InPP, Pedro Fevereiro, and the director of the Elvas branch of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Benvindo Maçãs. The visit was also attended by the president of the Portalegre Polytechnic Institute (IPP), Luís Loures, and the director of the Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém (ESAS), Margarida Oliveira.
The purpose of the visit was to get to know CoLAB's facilities and technological equipment and to find out a little more about its work and the different areas of activity being explored by the five departments.
Speaking to Rádio Elvas, Fernando Alexandre said that “in Elvas, there is an excellent example in InnovPlantProtect, which attracts national and foreign PhDs, who are research staff that are key to development”.
Also accompanying the visit were department directors Cristina Azevedo, Ilaria Marengo and David Learmonth, and Manisha Sirsat, an InPP researcher, who was representing Ricardo Ramiro.
We can only thank the minister for his visit.
Image credits: InnovPlantProtect - Hadi Sheikhnejad
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