News & Events

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NEWS

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.

Imagine a future where drones and artificial intelligence work together to protect your vineyards. That's what the AI4Leafhopper project is making a reality!

Manisha Sirsat, a researcher on the AI4Leafhopper team, has developed two artificial intelligence models that analyze the aerial images captured by our latest generation drone... and these models make it possible:

  • geolocation of each vine
  • to know if there are vine failures
  • quickly identify “sick” vines”
  • optimize the application of treatments

The result? Growers can have a detailed view of the health of their vineyards, detect problems early and make more informed decisions.

Find out all about it here.

AI4Leafhopper is a project led by InPP and funded by the ICAERUS Horizon Europe program, which began in April 2024 and ended on April 30 with a final meeting involving the six European projects approved in the 1st edition of the ICAERUS program's PULL applications. The project team presented the AI-based models for detecting and monitoring the impact of the green leafhopper on vineyards.

The AI4Leafhopper project, InnovPlantProtect used a state-of-the-art drone to monitor the impact of the green leafhopper in the vineyards of our partners Reynolds Wine Growers and João Portugal Ramos. Although the results show that this advanced technology is more effective at detecting attacks at advanced stages, we are excited about the potential of this tool to provide valuable data for the management of this harmful insect.

We believe that with more research, we can refine our solution to detect early attacks and prevent significant damage to vineyards. Transforming the monitoring of this pest is where we want to go, always with the aim of protecting vineyards and guaranteeing the quality of production for winegrowers.

Over the next few days we'll be revealing everything that the AI4Leafhopper project is making a reality and how drones and artificial intelligence are working together to create a more sustainable future for viticulture. Stay tuned!

Find out all about it here.

AI4Leafhopper, funded by the ICAERUS Horizon Europe program, which began in April 2024, is now in its final stages. The development phase of the project, which took place in the field, is now over and the final stage is to present the solutions developed by our team on Portuguese soil to the market.

EVENTS

InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is promoting the “Plant Biotech Talks” on September 24, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the INIAV Auditorium in Elvas.

The lecture series aims to bring together internationally renowned experts in the fields of applied plant biotechnology and cereal crop biotechnology who will share developments in these areas, as well as the new genomic techniques that have been applied to rice production.

The guest speakers are Paul Christou, Professor and Director of the Applied Plant Biotechnology Laboratory at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) at the University of Lleida, Teresa Capell, Professor and Director in the Department of Plant Production and Forestry Sciences at ICREA and Xin Huang, researcher in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering at ICREA.

The program is as follows:

10:00 - 11:00 | Paul Christou: Plant biotechnology, 1980-2024. From Round-up Ready soy to Genome Editing and beyond
11:00 - 12:00 | Teresa Capell: Communicating science through art and archaeology
12:00 - 13:00 | Xin Huang: Knocking our rice blast susceptibility genes through Genome Editing

Participation in the event is free and not subject to registration.

See the full program in the image below.

InPP was in Bragança yesterday for the MORE Colab - Mountains of Research Collaborative Laboratory Open Day, for a morning of exchanging experiences. Organized by MORE CoLAB, this initiative took place in the Auditorium of the School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança and aimed to highlight the impact of Collaborative Laboratories in enhancing knowledge and creating value in the communities and regions that host them.

The Open Day, which marked the fifth anniversary of CoLAB Bragantino, highlighted the impact of 15 million euros generated for the region with more than 45 projects, more than 40 human resources and 230 partners involved, more than 30 projects submitted in 2024 and 5 applications already approved under PT2030.

The initiative was attended at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança by government representatives, such as Hernâni Dias, Secretary of State for Local Administration and Spatial Planning, management entities, associates, public and private partners, as well as Collaborative Laboratories from the north to the south of the country.

The event was also an opportunity to learn about the projects and strategic partnerships being developed at MORE CoLAB.

Image credits: MORE Colab - Mountains of Research Collaborative Laboratory

The 1st Congress of the Insectera Mobilizing Agenda will take place on October 23rd at the Turismo de Portugal facilities in Estoril.

The 1st edition of the Congress will have the theme “Insects as a tool for sustainability” and aims to bring together experts and anyone interested to discuss the challenges, opportunities and potential of a new bioindustrial sector - insects as bioindustrial tools for sustainability.

The submission period for the congress is open until September 16 and registrations are now available.

You can find all the information on the “Abstract submission” tab on the congress website.

Mark your calendar now!

More information about the event here.