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.
International Day for the Fascination of Plants 2022 celebrated in Elvas on May 19th
To celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2022, InnovPlantProtect (InPP) promotes the 1st Meeting of Ciência Viva Clubs of secondary schools in the district of Portalegre, tomorrow, May 19th, with the support of Estremoz Living Science Center, and a guided tour of InPP's new laboratories. The afternoon ends with a visit to Elvas Municipal Garden, This is the largest green space in the city and has a remarkable biodiversity in terms of tree species.
The following secondary schools are taking part in the initiative Mouzinho da Silveira, from Portalegre, and D. Sancho II of Elvas, which has just formed its Ciência Viva na Escola Club. InPP will welcome a total of 42 students and seven teachers to its facilities. The tour of the laboratories, led by CoLAB's executive director, Pedro Fevereiro, will be followed by a short presentation on the charms and importance of plant biodiversity. Then, at 3.45 p.m., the students and teachers will gather in the renovated InPP/ INIAV Auditorium for the Ciência Viva Club Meeting at the School.
The aim of this meeting is for the district's clubs to get to know each other and present the projects they have developed and plan to develop. The joint initiative between InPP, the Schools and CCV Estremoz is part of the national celebrations coordinated by the ITQB NOVA, The aim is to promote a culture of knowledge about the importance of plants through the wonder that the plant world provides, whether at home, in the street, in the countryside or on the beach, in the forest, in the orchard, in the vegetable garden, in the agricultural field or in the mountains.
O Fascination of Plants Day is an initiative of the European Plant Science Organization (EPSO), which takes place every two years on May 18th. It is coordinated at national level by the Portuguese Society of Plant Physiology and ITQB NOVA, with events across the country.
How do you innovate in the interior of Portugal? Yes, it's possible! Pedro February explains everything today, May 17th, at Science’22 Meeting. Tomorrow, the 18th, Cristina Azevedo e David Learmonth talks on the development of plant protection products for the control of phytopathogens and on the encapsulation of biopesticides.
The executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is one of the speakers at the session “From Lab to Fab: stories of innovation”, organized by ANI - National Innovation Agency, The event starts at 2pm in Room 5C of the Lisbon Congress Center. Pedro Fevereiro will demonstrate the case of the Elvas CoLAB, which operates in the heart of the Alto Alentejo region.
Tomorrow, the director of the Department of New Biopesticides and the director of the Department of Formulations and Process Development at InPP will speak at the session entitled “Sustainable Production and Consumption IV”, which will take place in Auditorium 3, from 11.30am to 1pm.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is celebrating National Scientists Day 2022, May 16, by challenging its researchers to complete the sentence “A scientist is...”
...someone who gets up in the morning with the desire to discover something new and the perseverance to carry on even when that doesn't happen.
...someone who answers questions about how our Universe works, using experimentation as a way of investigating it, and who establishes verifiable theories about how it works.
...someone who finds answers to questions that may only be of interest to a niche group of people or, on the other hand, contribute to the maintenance of the human species, namely by finding solutions to guarantee food for the world's growing population, as we try to do every day at InPP. Regardless of the “size” of the issue, being a scientist is always a huge challenge.
... the deeper reality of the superficial physical occurrence. In this context, one of my most recent works{ explores the specific adaptations of symptomatic and asymptomatic vines to esca, a disease as old as vine growing!
*Goufo, P., Singh, R. K. and Cortez, I. (2021) Metabolites Differentiating Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Grapevine Plants (Vitis vinifera L ‘Malvasia-Fina’) Infected with Esca Complex Disease-Associated Fungi. Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 11(1), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/IECPS2021-11923
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