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NEWS

Seminar highlights CoLABs' contribution to the future of agricultural and agri-food innovation

June 12, 2025
Blog, News
Ines Ferreira

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)

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.

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.

CoLABs in the spotlight at FNA: Innovation and Impact for Agriculture and Agrifood

June 3, 2025
Blog, News
Ines Ferreira

O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) promotes the seminar “Six years of innovation: The path of CoLABs for the future of the agricultural and agri-food sectors”, on the next day June 11th, from 09h30 until 11h00, in center stage at Espaço InsectERA, located in the Central Cloisters of the National Center for Agricultural Exhibitions and Markets (CNEMA) in Santarém.

The seminar aims to present the practical results and real impact of six Collaborative Laboratories (CoLABs) in Portugal - InnovPlantProtect, Colab4Food, FeedInov, Food4Sustainability, MORE and SmartFarmCoLAB. These interface infrastructures are essential pillars of the National Innovation System (SNI) and play a growing and essential role in the dynamics of innovation for agriculture and agri-food.

The event will be attended by members of the teams and partners of each of the CoLABs, who will talk about their vision of the added value of these interface and innovation entities, from the point of view of those who collaborate directly with them.

The initiative, which is part of the National Agriculture Fair (FNA) 2025, which this year has the theme “Biosolutions” and will be the stage for exploring the innovations that are shaping the future of the sector, brings together different representatives of the innovation ecosystem to show the role of CoLABs in stimulating the transfer of knowledge and making innovation available to agriculture and agri-food in Portugal, creating value and attracting highly qualified human resources to the country.

See the full program in the image below.

The registration for the event is free, but mandatory due to the limited capacity of the space. Guarantee your presence by filling in the available form here.

We look forward to welcoming you for a morning of sharing and debate on the future of innovation in the agricultural and agri-food sectors!

InPP participa na FNA25

June 3, 2025
Blog, Highlight, News, Latest
Ines Ferreira

Estamos em contagem decrescente para a Feira Nacional de Agricultura (FNA), uma das maiores feiras agrícolas do país!

É já de 7 a 15 de junho que o InPP vai estar na 61ª edição da Feira Nacional de Agricultura, que se realiza no CNEMA – Centro Nacional de Exposições, em Santarém.

O tema da edição deste ano é “Biosoluções”e pretende destacar a importância das soluções e tecnologias inovadoras no setor agroalimentar e na promoção de práticas mais sustentáveis e eficientes.

A FNA reúne agricultores, empresários e especialistas dos setores agroalimentar, pecuário e agrícola e é um excelente espaço para aumentar a nossa rede de contactos, trocar conhecimentos e apresentar as mais recentes tendências e soluções agrícolas que a nossa equipa tem desenvolvido.

Vai poder encontrar-nos no stand nº.18, à entrada do Espaço dos claustros, dedicado à Agenda InsectERA, entre as 10h e as 20h.

Venha visitar-nos. Esperamos por si!

EVENTS

InPP featured in the March edition of Voz do Campo magazine

March 5, 2025
Blog, Highlight
Ines Ferreira

“InnovPlantProtect (InPP) is consolidating itself as a reference center in applied research, combining biotechnology and digitalization, to offer a range of solutions for crop protection, focused on the prevention, monitoring and mitigation of phytosanitary threats, but also on the delivery of bioinspired solutions (...) for the optimization of agricultural productivity,” António Saraiva, executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), told Voz do Campo magazine.

In an opinion piece for this month's edition of Voz do Campo magazine, António Saraiva, InPP's executive director, highlighted CoLAB's commitment to innovation and sustainability, as well as its ability to attract and retain highly qualified young researchers. The opinion article “InnovPlantProtect: Science and Innovation at the Service of the Agricultural Challenges of the 21st Century” recognizes InPP's contribution to the transformation of agriculture.

The executive director also warns of the uncertainty over the future of InPP's public funding, and calls for the need to define a stable funding framework to guarantee the continuity of CoLAB's work.

Read the full article (in the file below) and find out how we are shaping the future of agriculture.

We thank Voz do Campo magazine for its recognition and reiterate our commitment to building a more sustainable and innovative agricultural future.

Opinion article “InnovPlantProtect: Science and Innovation at the Service of the Agricultural Challenges of the 21st Century” by António Saraiva, executive director of InPP, published in the March edition of Voz do Campo magazine.

InPP took part in the 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025

February 14, 2025
Blog
Ines Ferreira

The 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025, promoted by Anpromis, brought together around 600 farmers and specialists from the agri-food sector in Figueira da Foz to discuss the technical challenges, innovations and best practices associated with growing maize in Portugal, as well as the European challenges in the current geopolitical context.

The executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), António Saraiva, moderated the panel on “The technical challenges of corn production in Portugal”, which included the participation of André Antunes, Consultant in agricultural resilience, Stéphane Jezequel, Technical Director of Arvalis, and Luís Queirós, Global Director for Fodder Additives at Lallemand Animal Nutrition.

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, closed the event with a speech focusing on the national strategic measures that are essential for cereal production and the instruments and financial resources that will benefit the agricultural sector.

InPP would like to thank Anpromis, a founding member of InPP, for inviting us to moderate the panel on “The technical challenges of corn production in Portugal”. It was an excellent moment for dialog and the exchange of knowledge, which is essential for the development of the sector!

Image credit: Anpromis

Left and middle photo: InPP's executive director, António Saraiva, moderating the panel “The technical challenges of maize production in Portugal” at the 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025; Right photo: The agricultural community gathered at the 12th National Maize Colloquium 2025 to debate the future of the agricultural sector.

InPP elects new governing bodies for 2025-2027

February 11, 2025
Blog
Ines Ferreira

The General Assembly of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), held last Tuesday, February 4, at the Auditorium of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) - Elvas Campus, in Elvas, formally swore in the new governing bodies. NOVA University Lisbon, which was reappointed to the Board of Directors (BoD), nominated Margarida Oliveira to the position of Chair of the InPP BoD for the 2025-2027 triennium.

In her speech, re-elected president Margarida Oliveira said that this term of office will be marked by the challenge of capitalizing on the entire structure set up and the results already achieved by the INPP team, in order to guarantee the Association's financial sustainability and its continued ability to produce solutions for the market. “The INPP team is a source of pride for those who dreamed up what was just a project at the time, but which in just six years, and in the middle of a pandemic, has achieved strong recognition at national and international level,” he said.

The previous chairman of the General Assembly (GA), Domingos dos Santos, president of the National Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers“ Organizations (FNOP), handed over the presidency of the GA to Pedro Monteiro, chairman of the board of Casa do Arroz, and took the opportunity to thank him for his two terms and ”the way he has always been treated by the InPP“. FNOP is now a member of the Board of Directors. In his speech, the now chairman of the GA, Pedro Monteiro, highlighted his ”pride in representing the Board of Directors for six years and the great honor" for Casa do Arroz in accepting the Presidency of the GA.

António Saraiva, InPP's executive director, welcomed the new members of the Board of Directors for the 2025-2028 triennium, as well as the rest of the bodies. For the executive director, “CoLAB has made significant progress to ensure a solid future. We are implementing a series of strategic projects, improving the efficiency of our teams and our internal workings in order to better serve the agricultural ecosystem and our members. Today, we continue to bet on a stronger InPP, ready to establish itself as a benchmark in the development of new technologies, products and services with a strong innovation component. We will continue to work towards the modernization and competitiveness of agriculture, boosting knowledge of the agricultural sector and being a fundamental link between academia, companies and production. This is our mission and our ongoing commitment.”.

The new governing bodies are committed and motivated to making CoLAB grow and innovate, strengthening its representativeness in the agricultural sector.

The following governing bodies were elected for the three-year period 2025-2027:

General Meeting Board: Chair - Casa do Arroz; First Secretary - University of Évora and Second Secretary - Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre

Board of Directors: Chair - NOVA University Lisbon; Vice-Chair - INIAV

Board members: Syngenta Crop Protection, Fertiprado, ANPROMIS, FNOP and ANPOC.

News & Events