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!
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.
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.
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) took part in the debate session on breeding and genomic techniques, the subject of the most recent edition of the CULTIVAR publication by the Planning, Policies and General Administration Office (GPP), which took place on June 27 at the Marquês Hall of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Lisbon.
The opening session was led by the GPP's director-general, Eduardo Diniz, and also included the participation of Pedro Fevereiro, executive director of the InPP, Benvindo Maçãs, director of INIAV, IP, Catarina Ginja, professor at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health (CIISA), Irina Castro, from the Transgenics Out Platform. The panel was moderated by Pedro Castro Rego, from the GPP.
As can be read in the news published on the GPP website: “During the debate, although there was no consensus on the subject, it was clear that the improvement essentially seeks to respond to the challenges of food supply and climate change.
As European regulations have not yet been stabilized, the scientific complexity and the effects associated with technological application on nature were highlighted. The speakers stressed the importance of approaching breeding as a process that interconnects various domains within genetic diversity, highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of this activity. Breeding and genomic techniques could develop solutions for more sustainable agricultural production, not only in environmental terms, but also in economic and social terms. However, the time and conditions in which these solutions are made available were questioned, particularly with regard to biodiversity and consumer concerns.
Public policies were mentioned as the privileged instrument for delimiting the impact of breeding and genomic techniques on agriculture and food in the near future. In this context, political commitments will have to act in conjunction with socially responsible technological innovation in favor of greater agricultural productivity and income in the long term.”
On June 27 at 10:30 a.m., InnovPlantProtect (InPP) will take part in a debate session promoted by the Planning, Policies and General Administration Office (GPP) on Improvement and genomic techniques, the subject of the most recent edition of the publication CULTIVAR - Cadernos de Análise e Prospetiva.
The initiative aims to contribute to reflection on the definition of appropriate policies for the use and development of the best practices available in this area, which will generate benefits for agents in the agri-food sector and the population in general.
The session includes a brief presentation on the topic and a round table with a panel of experts, including InPP's executive director, Pedro Fevereiro, followed by a debate with the participants.
Pedro Fevereiro will be one of the speakers at the round table, who will talk about the article entitled “Plant breeding and molecular-based technologies, in particular genomic editing”, which he wrote for the magazine CULTIVAR.
Participation in the session is free, but to attend in person at the GPP's premises at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Lisbon, prior registration is required, available until June 26, here.
The session will be broadcast live on the GPP's YouTube channel.
“(...) Faced with the most recent challenges, the combination of the development of scientific knowledge about the value of algae as a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds and the enormous pressure in the agricultural production sector to replace these same chemically synthesized fertilizers, biostimulants and pesticides with more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives has led to the expansion of the algae sector in agriculture,” reads an article produced by the InnovPlantProtect (InPP) team, published in the June edition of Voz do Campo magazine.
In the article, produced by the InPP team involved in the Vertical Algae Agriculture sub-project, together with several partners, our researchers are tracking the activity of a set of more than 30 macro and microalgae and some of their by-products, made available by Portuguese companies as biostimulants and biopesticides.
Researchers Miguel Claro and Rui Figueiras and department heads Cristina Azevedo and Sandra Correia were involved in the production of this non-scientific article.
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