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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

InPP marca presença no TECH4INNOV

Hoje, dia 29 de março, o InnovPlantProtect esteve no Europarque, em Santa Maria da Feira, no Porto, para participar no TECH4INNOV: o Presente e o Futuro da Inovação em Portugal, uma mostra tecnológica que junta várias atores do Sistema Nacional de Inovação (SNI) para darem a conhecer os resultados de projetos de Investigação e Desenvolvimento (I&D) e as tecnologias que têm desenvolvido, mostrando assim o melhor que se tem feito na transformação do conhecimento em inovação.

O evento, organizado pela Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI), teve como principal objetivo promover as atividades de transferência de tecnologia e do conhecimento, potenciando a sua valorização e comercialização permitindo uma maior e melhor articulação entre as empresas e entidades do Sistema Científico e Tecnológico Nacional.

Durante o dia foram expostas novas tecnologias assim como discutidas novas perspetivas e soluções disruptivas em painéis de debate com convidados nacionais e internacionais e espaços de demonstração, onde estiveram patentes casos de sucesso desenvolvidos por Centros de Tecnologia e Inovação (CTI), Laboratórios Colaborativos (CoLAB), Gabinetes de Transferência de Tecnologia (TTO), Digital Innovation Hubs, entre outras entidades do SNI.

More information about the event here.

Vertical Algae Project presented this Monday in Faro

Yesterday, March 27, saw the launch of the Vertical Algae project, part of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact mobilizing agenda, led by Inovamar, and in which InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is involved, at the University of the Algarve in Faro.

InPP was present to present the agricultural activity it coordinates, in partnership with the collaborative laboratory GreenCoLAB, The aim of the project is to identify, produce and test algae-based biopesticides and biostimulants to make agriculture more sustainable.

The public session included speeches by Miguel Marques, Chairman of Inovamar's Board of Directors, João Navalho, Chairman of Necton's Board of Directors, José Apolinário, President of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission and Pedro Valadas Monteiro, Algarve Regional Director for Agriculture and Fisheries. The initiative also included a round table, moderated by Necton, with the participation of all the previous speakers.

The Vertical Algae consortium, which involves a total of 38 entities, including companies, universities, CoLABs and Research and Development (R&D) centers, will have funding of 44 million euros, and aims to provide the national algae sector with the necessary capacity and competitive advantages, based on new sustainable products, processes and services, to compete in global markets and raise the national brand in the European blue bioeconomy.

In addition to this consortium, led by Necton, linked to the algae sector, launched this Monday in the Algarve, this mobilizing agenda includes six more secondary consortia, linked to the creation of new industries: biomaterials, bivalves, textiles, food, animal feed and fish.

Vertical Algae is co-financed by the Next Generation EU Funds, through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), and is the largest initiative in the Blue Bioeconomy Pact agenda.

Financing:

ABC Project carries out first field activity with students

The ABC - AgriBioCircular project team held its first field activity with students from the D. Sancho II Secondary School and the Escola Superior Agrária de Elvas this Friday, March 24, at the Reynolds Wine Growers estate in Arronches.

During the field activity, the students had the opportunity to learn how to identify the insects found in each habitat and experiment with different techniques for sampling insects and microorganisms, both using traditional techniques and more technologically advanced ones, using sensors and artificial intelligence.

“The aim is to put into practice, in the olive groves and cork oak forests of this property, what was worked on in the classroom, namely to teach the students how to identify the insects found in each habitat, using traditional (...) sampling techniques, as well as others that are more technologically advanced,” explained Nuno Faria, an IPP researcher.

The aim is for the students “to be able to identify what they see in the field, as well as to learn which insects are useful in ecosystems, but also those that are potentially pests and harmful to crops in the Alentejo,” added the researcher.

The ABC - AgriBioCircular project, led by InPP, is funded by the Environmental Fund program, under the National Environmental Education Strategy (ENEA 2022).

Find out more about the field trip in the Rádio ELVAS news item here.

Image credit: Rádio Elvas