engenharia genética – InnovPlantProtect

NEWS

InPP was in Italy for the kick-off meeting of the European PROSPER project

October 6, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News, Project
Ines Ferreira

InPP took part in the kick-off meeting for the European PROSPER project, held on October 2 and 3 in Pavia, Italy. In attendance were the director of the Monitoring and Diagnostics Department, Ilaria Marengo, and the project manager, Bruno Orrico.

PROSPER's main objective is to transform European agriculture by valorizing highly resilient “orphan” legumes - forgotten crops, but full of potential to face the climate and food challenges of the future.

The project promotes sustainable, innovative practices adapted to different agricultural realities.

Over the two days, 27 partners from 13 countries met for presentations, in-depth discussions and strategic talks about the project's next steps.

We are excited about what comes next, certain that this journey will be more than a collaboration - it will be a true cooperation within an exceptional team.

Join us and keep up to date with all the news from the PROSPER Project!

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InPP is part of the BioLivingLABS project, dedicated to the sustainability of inland territories

October 3, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News, Project
Ines Ferreira

InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the project launch meeting BioLivingLABS - Bioeconomia ao Serviço da Sustentabilidade dos Territórios do Interior (Bioeconomy at the Service of the Sustainability of Inland Territories), which took place on October 1st at the School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB).

Funded by COMPETE 2023, the BioLivingLABS project, led by MORE CoLAB - Laboratório Colaborativo Montanhas de Investigação, in partnership with the InPP, the IPCB, from AQUAVALOR and the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB).

This project's mission is to add value to the low-density territories in the north, center and south of the country by demonstrating and economically boosting the work carried out by the partners - through the creation, demonstration and application of products, processes and services resulting from joint research.

Four living laboratories will be created (Living Labs) in the innovation hubs of Mirandela, Douro, Covilhã and Elvas, which they intend to promote:

the transfer of knowledge;
technology demonstration;
strategic roadmapping and
the protection of intellectual property.

BioLivingLABS strengthens the link between academia, business and society, driving innovation and sustainability.

Expected impact:
Over the course of 24 months, and with Living Labs dedicated to sectors such as olive groves and olive oil, vineyards and wine, fruit and cereals, legumes, among others, the project will contribute to:

increase regional competitiveness;
promote sustainable practices and
responding to the environmental, social and economic challenges facing inland territories.

More news about this new project soon.

InPP took part in the National Exhibition of the Projects of the Portuguese Pact for the Blue Bioeconomy

September 26, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News, Project
Ines Ferreira

On September 25, InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the National Exhibition of Blue Bioeconomy Pact Projects, held at the Port of Leixões Cruise Terminal, for the exhibition session of the Algae Vertical project, led by PhytoBloom by Necton.

InPP, leader of sub-project 6 - Agriculture, was represented by department director Cristina Azevedo and executive director António Saraiva, who presented some of the new algae-based biosolutions that our team and partners are developing.

There were more than 300 participants and 80 entities, including companies, research centers and political decision-makers. The Opening Conference was attended by the Chairman of Inovamar's General and Supervisory Board, José Soares dos Santos, and round tables were held on the future of the blue economy in Portugal.

Algae Vertical explores the biotechnological potential of algae in sectors as diverse as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and energy.

Find out more about the Algae Vertical Project here.

EVENTS

Real-time data collection and mapping of yellow rust

March 4, 2021
Blog
Ines Ferreira

Wheat is a crop of great importance for human nutrition around the world. Due to climate change, the Puccinia striiformis tritici (Pst), the fungus that causes yellow rust on wheat, has developed the ability to overcome the plant's defenses. The spores of the fungus spread by aerial dispersal and can reach thousands of kilometers.

Consequently, the rust disease is transboundary and must therefore be dealt with internationally. Around the world, there are several institutions (CIMMYT, ICARDA, GRRC) and initiatives (RustWatch, RustTracker, Globalrust) committed to solving this problem by improving disease diagnostic tools, building new online research and communication infrastructures to share knowledge.

InPP's Crop Protection and Monitoring and Diagnostics Departments are working together, and in collaboration with RustWatch, to fill gaps in the data on the epidemiology of yellow rust, in order to understand the special dynamics of the disease and build an early warning system (EWS).

The form developed by InPP for ODK Collect makes it easier for producers to collect data in the field.

The Monitoring and Diagnostics Department has developed a form for a mobile application (ODK Collect), through which wheat growers can easily collect data in the field. This information will be fed in real time into a spatial database and a map of sampling sites, published from a webGIS service ad hoc.

To this end, we are also instructing producers on how to use the application and access the maps from the webGIS service. Paulo Velez, from Cersul - Agrupamento de Produtores de Cereais do Sul, was the first to receive the training. Thank you very much for your participation!

See one teaser of our tutorial for accessing app and forms here.

XfSTOP goes ahead with olive tree sampling to isolate endophytes

March 4, 2021
Blog
Ines Ferreira

As part of the XfSTOP project, led by InnovPlantProtect's New Biopesticides Department, which aims to use biological control tools to manage the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa in olive groves, members of the team that makes up this department went on a field trip to Herdade de Reguengo, belonging to INIAV, in Elvas, on February 10th.

With the help of INIAV researchers Rocio Calderón-Arias and António Cordeiro, the InPP team collected olive tree samples of different varieties (Leccino, Cobrançosa and Arbequina), making it possible to optimize protocols for the isolation of symbiotic bacteria that live inside olive trees, the endophytes.

These endophytes, inhabitants of the same ecological niche as the Xylella, The endophyte will be used to produce our biopesticide, explains Cristina Azevedo, director of the Department. The idea is to reintroduce the endophyte into the olive tree, which represents a sustainable way of producing a growth inhibitor for Xylella.

Researchers from InPP and INIAV collect olive tree samples at Herdade de Reguengo.

InPP identified in European report on bioeconomy in Portugal

March 3, 2021
Blog
Ines Ferreira

The Bio-based Industries Consortium has appointed InnovPlantProtect as the CoLab at the forefront of Portugal's bid to become a leader in the European Green Deal.

InnovPlantProtect is mentioned as a player to take into account in the latest Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) report on Portugal's bio-based potential. The document lists 14 collaborative laboratories, public-private entities “dedicated to developing market-oriented research” related to the bioeconomy.

Entitled Mapping Portugal's bio-based potential - Country Report, The report draws attention to the existence in Portugal of several research centers “well located in all regions” that support the bioeconomy and bio-based R&D and industrial activities. Among them is the InnovPlantProtect (InPP) collaborative laboratory (CoLab), based in Elvas, which is dedicated to developing innovative bio-based solutions for crop protection.

The BIC report on Portugal is available online.

The 61-page document, available in full online, reveals “all the potential that Portugal possesses to become one of the world's front-runners European Green Deal”. The study also underlines “the existence of a robust innovation ecosystem in Portugal and highlights the country's growing influence as a leader in the biotechnology sector”.

“The emerging bioeconomy sector in Portugal already contributes nearly 20 billion euros to the national economy and the BIC study shows that there are new opportunities to accelerate green economic growth in the country,” reads a PRESS RELEASE of the organization, which brings together more than 240 members and represents the private sector in the European Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking.

News & Events