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.
O Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV), associado fundador do InnovPlantProtect (InPP), promoveu na passada quarta-feira, dia 17 de maio, o Dia do Agricultor 2023, no Pólo de Inovação em Elvas, sob o mote “Território e competitividade”.
Este dia pretendeu promover a discussão entre todos os intervenientes das fileiras dos cereais, proteaginosas, oleaginosas, pastagens e forragens e olivicultura sobre a diversidade do território agrícola nacional e o contributo da investigação e inovação para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de agricultura sustentáveis e competitivos.
O InPP esteve presente no evento e assinou o protocolo de constituição com o Centro Nacional de Competências para a Inovação Tecnológica do Sector Agroflorestal (InovTechAgro), que visa a promoção de um setor mais inteligente, seguro, moderno e sustentável, reforçando as medidas de protecção ambiental e luta contra as alterações climáticas, com competências nas áreas de Agricultura de Precisão, Mecanização Agrícola e Digitalização.
A sessão de abertura contou com a participação da Ministra da Agricultura e Alimentação, Maria do Céu Antunes, de Nuno Canada, presidente do INIAV, e de Hermenegildo Rodrigues, vereador da Elvas City Council.
De seguida, teve lugar a mesa redonda que teve como intervenientes José Palha, presidente da direção da Associação Nacional de Produtores de Proteaginosas, Oleaginosas e Cereais (ANPOC), Benvindo Maçãs, diretor do INIAV Elvas, José Maria Rasquilha, membro da Direção da Cersul – Agrupamento de Produtores de Cereais do Sul, José Fragoso de Almeida, professor da Escola Superior Agrária de Castelo Branco (ESACB) e João Madeira, presidente da Cooperativa Agrícola do Guadiana. A moderação ficou a cargo de Custódia Correia, da Rede Rural Nacional (RRN).
Durante o dia foi ainda possível visitar os campos de ensaios de diferentes espécies e a Herdade da Comenda.
Parabéns ao INIAV pela iniciativa. Esperamos também que a ingressão no InovTechAgro possa promover um espaço de reflexão, partilha e comunicação.
Farmers' Day is an annual initiative that brings together hundreds of farmers and companies in the sector.
No dia 9 de maio, o InnovPlantProtect (InPP) esteve no Cine-Teatro PAX Julia, em Beja, para participar na 2ª edição do Congresso Portugal Nuts, que teve como objetivos debater as necessidades hídricas das culturas de frutos secos nas principais zonas de produção, a inovação e sustentabilidade do setor dos frutos secos em Portugal, bem como as tendências nacionais e internacionais dos mercados deste setor.
Alguns dos peritos mais experientes na área também marcaram presença para partilhar o seu conhecimento e experiência, tornando uma oportunidade única para os participantes aprenderem mais sobre este setor e aumentarem a rede de contactos com outros profissionais do setor.
Parabéns à Portugal Nuts pela iniciativa. Foi um excelente momento de partilha de conhecimentos das principais problemáticas dos frutos secos, bem como por dar a conhecer os resultados da investigação e inovação realizadas, que são fundamentais para a modernização e competitividade desta fileira.
A equipa do InnovPlantProtect (InPP) marcou presença no workshop “Doenças emergentes para a hortofruticultura em Portugal”, promovido pelo Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), Universidade de Coimbra (UC) e Associação Centro de Apoio Tecnológico Agro-Alimentar (CATAA), e que se realizou no dia 5 de maio, no Centro AgroTech do Fundão, com o apoio da Camâra Municipal do Fundão.
O evento teve como principal objetivo fazer o ponto de situação em relação à bactéria Xylella fastidiosa, um dos maiores problemas fitossanitários na Europa que ataca várias culturas agrícolas, e que juntou oradores nacionais e estrangeiros dos Estados Unidos, Espanha e Itália, países em que esta bactéria constitui um grande desafio e que têm concentrado esforços no sentido de mitigar os seus efeitos.
Este workshop contou ainda com a participação de Teresa Afonso, diretora de serviços de Sanidade Vegetal da Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária (DGAV), que abordou o tema “Xylella fastidiosa em Portugal: o plano nacional para erradicar a bactérias e controlo de vectores”.
A iniciativa decorreu no âmbito do projeto XylOut que tem como missão contribuir para a transferência efetiva de resultados e conhecimentos para diferentes públicos-alvo na temática das doenças das plantas.
Português 
English