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.
In the March issue of Fruits, vegetables and flowers you will find the opinion article entitled “The role of InnovPlantProtect in Organic Farming: Paths to sustainable and efficient solutions”, in which the executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, reveals how our CoLAB is contributing to the success of organic farming.
“By boosting research, collaboration and knowledge sharing, InPP is helping to solve the central challenges of this practice [organic farming], allowing it to expand and enhancing the supply of agricultural products to consumers. The solutions developed by InPP make organic farming a more viable option for producers,” says the executive director.
Read the full article and find out how we are shaping the future of agriculture.
We thank Frutas, legumes e flores magazine for its recognition and reiterate our commitment to the agriculture of the future.
The Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre is now a member of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), joining the 12 founding members: Câmara Municipal de Elvas, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-alimentar do Alentejo (CEBAL), Universidade de Évora, Syngenta Crop Protection, Bayer Crop Science, Fertiprado, Federação Nacional das Organizações de Produtores de Frutas e Hortícolas (FNOP), Associação Nacional de Produtores de Milho e Sorgo (Anpromis), Associação Nacional de Produtores de Proteaginosas, Oleaginosas e Cereais (ANPOC) and Casa do Arroz.
“Joining the InnovPlantProtect collaborative laboratory is a decisive step towards affirming the Polytechnic of Portalegre as a research and investment attraction hub for the Alentejo region, capable of boosting the creation of qualified jobs and densifying the country's interior, reinforcing the relevance of this region to the growth and development of the Portuguese agricultural sector,” says Luís Loures, president of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (IPPortalegre).
In a note published on IPPortalegre's website, it can be read that this association was already expected, “considering the growing cooperation between the two entities, in particular through the Escola Superior Agrária de Elvas - IPPortalegre”. IPPortalegre now hopes to contribute to, among other things: increasing CoLAB's capabilities in the area of applied biological sciences, boosting participation in research projects with complementary lines of work; boosting internships and other practical activities in InnovPlantProtect's research areas for students from the Polytechnic; increasing and diversifying the number of partners of the laboratory, with intervention in the agricultural area, thus boosting its capacity to penetrate the regional economic fabric in its area of activity.
With 15 centers across the country and a foot in six collaborative laboratories, the president of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research sees InnovPlantProtect, based at the Elvas Center, as a complementary arm that strengthens INIAV's link with industry. The big impact of CoLAB? It will come, guarantees Nuno Canada, when it manages to put bio-based molecules or solutions on the market for plant protection and post-harvest, which solve national problems but can be marketed on a global scale.
Text: Eva Ceia/ InnovPlantProtect Photo: Joaquim Miranda
How important is the InnovPlantProtect (InPP) collaborative laboratory for the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV)?
INIAV is a nationwide structure with 15 centers throughout the country, with various scientific themes, and which is active in the areas of agriculture and food, forests and biodiversity, as well as territorial development, particularly in rural areas. It is the largest national research structure in these areas. INIAV is positioned at the interface between the national scientific system and companies, production organizations and the territory.
It therefore has a strong focus on the dimension of knowledge and technology transfer. From this point of view, it is very interested in the emergence of these collaborative arrangements, both competence centers and collaborative laboratories, and has supported the creation of these structures since their inception. INIAV has supported the creation of 22 competence centers and six collaborative laboratories, as these are structures that will strengthen the national research and innovation ecosystem in this area of knowledge and technology transfer.
Since plant protection is one of INIAV's core areas of activity, InnovPlantProtect complements our work and strengthens this link with companies. That's why we were so interested in supporting and being part of this collaborative laboratory when the Interface program came along.
Why was InPP set up at INIAV's Elvas Campus?
The Elvas Center is one of INIAV's 15 centers. It is one of the most important in national terms and has great regional relevance; in this area of innovation and research, it is the most important structure in the region. Its activity is strongly linked to the sector, to the various value chains - cereals, legumes, pastures. It also has a tradition, in addition to working closely with the sector, of creating collaborative arrangements. The National Competence Center for Climate Change in the Agroforestry Sector, CEREALTECH in cereals, is based in Elvas, and the InPP has come to complement the activity that is already being developed in Elvas.
As this is a sparsely populated area and one of the central objectives of the collaborative laboratories [CoLAB] is to hire highly qualified people, it is also an opportunity to bring these people to the region; and, in addition, there has been great support from the Elvas City Council throughout this installation.
What is the importance of the InPP for the Alentejo region?
The importance here has two dimensions. The fact that we are hiring more highly qualified resources, who will bring their families to the region, will create direct and indirect settlement of people and wealth in the region, which is a central aspect. The other dimension is that, although the activity of this CoLAB, being an interface laboratory with the pharmaceutical industry, has a global impact, having an activity of national and international relevance being carried out in Elvas will also, in terms of notoriety and promotion of that region, be an important aspect.
The plant protection industry will have to make a transition...
Although the central idea of this collaborative laboratory is to develop bio-based molecules for plant protection and post-harvest, and other types of alternative bio-based solutions, given the partnership with these companies that are part of CoLAB, the most relevant national problems in this field are identified and the ultimate goal is to develop solutions that are of interest to national agriculture, but that have the capacity to be marketed on a global scale. The national market is small; these solutions alone are not sustainable if they are only sold on the national market. We need to think globally and nationally in combination.
It only makes sense to have a collaborative laboratory if there is close coordination with companies.
How do you see the participation of companies in CoLAB? Do you think that the strategy followed allows InPP to develop its activity together with them?
The Interface program created the CoLABs precisely to be interface structures with companies - very industry-oriented, in particular. In the case of InPP, there are two industrial anchor partners, Bayer and Syngenta. It only makes sense to have a collaborative laboratory if there is close coordination with companies. In this case, in addition to companies, there are also production organizations, which is something that most collaborative laboratories don't have.
This set-up allows for close coordination between anchor partners, the national scientific and technological system - such as NOVA, the University of Évora [UÉvora], INIAV - and these companies, to identify the most important problems for the country and, when designing solutions, try to match them with commercialization on a global scale. This is one of the most important critical success factors for the sustainability of this collaborative laboratory.
CoLAB's sustainability will depend very much on its ability to put this into practice. The laboratory team has to be able to interact very closely with the RD&I [Research, Development & Innovation] departments of Bayer and Syngenta, in order to develop these complementary solutions to what these RD&I departments are already doing, in this field of biopesticides and biologically-based molecules for post-harvest and other types of solutions that reduce the use of phytopharmaceuticals. At a lower, pre-competitive TRL [Technology Readiness Levels] level, which can then evolve within companies to stages closer to the market.
What other factors are critical to success?
The structures of the Interface program have three funding components: state support, much of it to pay for human resources; the development of tailor-made RD&I with companies; and another dimension, which is competitive research projects.
The competitive research projects that CoLAB can develop so as not to be in competition with the anchor partners should be consortia that the partners alone would find difficult to promote. This is another critical success factor. The most successful collaborative laboratories are managing to do this, and this one will have to as well in order to be sustainable. The fact that we have companies and partners from the scientific system together, as this laboratory does, allows us to have a very strong link with companies and to have a lot of critical mass.
This combination is a great comparative advantage when it comes to competing, for example, for European projects under Horizon 2020 and now Horizon Europe. And also within the framework of major national projects: mobilizing programmes, the agendas for reindustrialization... These large consortia are a unique capacity that collaborative laboratories can have and which helps to make this third axis of competitive research sustainable.
Programs such as the Recovery and Resilience Plan...
The Recovery and Resilience Plan, the agendas for reindustrialization, which are one-off... But from a less one-off point of view, European projects under Horizon Europe are going to be an opportunity in which Portugal usually enters and in which the partners enter as ‘minor’ partners; and the CoLABs, because of their constitution, may have the critical mass to be leaders of a European consortium, or to be major partners in a European consortium.
It's a differentiating factor, where partners alone have difficulties. NOVA, UÉvora, INIAV, although they are involved in various European projects, find it more difficult to lead a European project, or be in a position of strength in a European project, than a CoLAB, due to the large critical mass it can have and, above all, its more entrepreneurial nature.
Why is the CoLAB team still not interacting closely with companies? What is missing?
Collaborative laboratories allow companies to work together pre-competitively, but the focus is on putting products or services on the market, not doing fundamental research. And it's the companies that know what needs to be put on the market. This work between the companies' R&I departments and the CoLABs is very important because, on the company side, the interlocutor is very important; if it's an interlocutor from a non-research area, they have a different perception and sensitivity than an interlocutor from the R&I department.
There is a path that is already being taken, but there is a need to strengthen this component, possibly in the strategic positioning of CoLAB. Obviously, as competing companies, they have their reservations. But there are lower, pre-competitive TRLs where it's possible to be much more efficient working in a model of this nature.
And that path...
I think this is a path that will have to be taken; it's essential for CoLAB's sustainability. If the collaborative laboratory does things that the partners are already doing, it ends up not being sustainable and the turnover is much lower. When it comes to developing tailor-made research for a large company, the amounts contracted are huge. Or if we're talking about Horizon Europe projects, the amounts are very different from an FCT [Foundation for Science and Technology] project or a regional Operational Program.
Today CoLAB is in the installation phase, but if we think about five or ten years from now, the goal is to become self-sustaining from an economic and financial point of view; to be able to pay the whole team, to expand the team, to have money to reinvest...
Although NOVA, UÉvora and INIAV are involved in various European projects, they find it more difficult to lead a European project, or to be in a position of strength in a European project, than a CoLAB, due to the large critical mass it can have and, above all, due to its more entrepreneurial nature.
What is INIAV's main role in the InPP?
INIAV is the country's main structure in this area, as it has the national reference laboratories for plant protection. There is a European network of reference laboratories, which are the first-line laboratories in each area; the European Commission only recognizes one in each member state. They then work in a network with the other member states to ensure that the technical competence, the equipment and, above all, the results that come out of a laboratory like this in Portugal are exactly the same as those that come out of Germany, Holland or anywhere else.
INIAV has all the national reference laboratories for agricultural and forestry plant diseases and pests. It also has a very important research activity, whether in the laboratory area or using digital tools for earlier detection of diseases... And then there are two more very important areas. One is genetic improvement, one of the relevant factors for Elvas; it is from Elvas that all the national plant improvement programs are coordinated and the issue of disease resistance is one of the factors. And then there's the issue of sustainability: having plant varieties that allow for more efficient use of resources and also require fewer phytopharmaceuticals.
As INIAV is the main national organization working in this area, it is very important to fit InPP into the ecosystem and give it the spin This is what makes the ecosystem stronger, more diverse, with a greater capacity to adapt and, ultimately, with a greater capacity to respond to the problems the country has in this area. These problems are very much related to climate change and globalization. More and more existing and emerging plant diseases and pests are appearing, particularly diseases transmitted by insects, or pests caused by insects themselves.
This is an area that is absolutely central to the sustainability of the country's various agricultural sectors. INIAV can help with this framework, this complementarity and this integration of CoLAB into the ecosystem and the various agricultural sectors with which INIAV is involved.
Do you think INIAV and InPP have been able to collaborate well?
I'd say it's a learning process. This issue of collaborative arrangements is new in Portugal. I was personally involved in the genesis of all the collaborative arrangements, both the collaborative laboratories and the competence centers, in this area. In 2014, we started creating the first competence centers and now, more recently, the CoLABs. And when the first competence centers were created, the researchers and the interlocutors from the companies couldn't even speak the same language.
There is a process of learning together, it's a path that is being taken. And the good interaction between the various CoLAB partners, and the activity and sustainability of CoLAB, depend a lot on the ability to do things that complement what the partners are already doing, exploiting complementarities and synergies.
O mainstream The aim of this CoLAB is to produce bio-based molecules for plant protection and post-harvest, or solutions that drastically reduce the use of synthetic molecules for these areas, which is something that the partners individually don't have the capacity to do. There is still a long way to go, which requires some learning, some reorganization on the part of everyone involved. I believe we'll get there.
What other challenges does InPP face?
Collaborative laboratories are interface structures with companies, they have to be oriented towards what can be put on the market, at times that might be interesting for companies.
We have to assume that there are legal limitations in Europe to the use of genomics and, in a context of innovation that is very close to the market, trying to work within them means losing touch with reality. This is not the position of a collaborative laboratory. I'm not saying that a university doing basic research shouldn't continue to work on these issues, because maybe in a few years' time solutions will emerge that will certainly be useful. But in the specific case of CoLAB, I think these are limitations that could take a long time to resolve and that, from the point of view of sustainability, could be a step that is not the most appropriate.
In a broad sense, the idea of working in the field of innovation in a collaborative laboratory is to take things that are already more mature and turn them into concrete solutions that can be put on the market in the short or medium term, but that are appealing to companies straight away.
What do you think will be the most important impact of the InPP?
InnovPlantProtect is working in an area that is very relevant to sustainability and can therefore have a major impact. The big impact will be when CoLAB manages to put bio-based molecules or solutions on the market for plant protection and post-harvest, which solve these serious problems we have and which are of great interest to us on this path to more sustainable food production, but which can be marketed on a global scale. We're a small country; it's not possible to put a new molecule on the market to be sold only in Portugal.
The central area of activity of this CoLAB is fundamental for the country and for Europe, not only today, but also from a prospective point of view, since it is expected that there will be more and more problems related to plant protection and more difficulty in using synthetic phytopharmaceuticals. It is also very much in line with Europe's two main goals for the next ten years - a greener Europe and a more digital Europe - and with the main objectives of the Green Deal and Farm to Fork. This is another reason for motivation and a guarantee that the laboratory has legs.
Interview published first hand by Rural Life, January 2022 issue.
InPP researchers mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022 by uniting on the Guadiana River and warning: water is life and billions of people in poor countries still don't have access to drinking water and sanitation.
“This year, the theme of International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) is ‘Water Unites Us’. On this day, we want to give a voice to those who don't have one. We alert you to the lack of water conditions in poor countries. By 2030, billions of people will have no access to sanitary conditions. Together, let's be an agent of change!” say the InnovPlantProtect (InPP) researchers, adding: “We should care about water regardless of whether it's a dry or wet year. Water has been synonymous with life on this planet from the very beginning. This is why water unites us.”
IDWGS is celebrated annually around the world on February 11. InPP researchers captured this photo at lunchtime on February 10, 2022, next to the Guadiana River, one of the largest that runs through Portugal. InPP is a private non-profit association dedicated to developing bio-inspired solutions for crop protection against pests and diseases. It is based in Elvas, a small town in the interior of Portugal, very close to the River Guadiana and the Spanish border.
The theme of IDWGS 2022 is “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Water Unites Us”, in recognition of “the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries, but also as agents of change, including with a view to accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Drinking Water and Sanitation)”. According to the organization, “February 11 is celebrated globally in different ways, big and small. We hope that our humble action contributes to the collective voices on Equality in Science!
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