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.
Last Monday, November 27, the closing session of the ABC project took place in the auditorium of the Escola Superior Agrária de Elvas (ESAE) of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, a project led by InnovPlantProtect (InPP) and financed by the Environmental Fund under the National Environmental Education Strategy 2020 program. The aim of the event was to give the students a voice, in different formats (posters, videos and others) that portrayed the themes that were developed during the project: sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, ecosystem services, citizen science and the circular economy. Rádio Elvas was invited to the event, as was Councillor Hermenegildo Rodrigues, representing Elvas Municipal Council. The opening session of the event was attended by the Director of ESAE, Rute Guedes dos Santos.
The InPP team began by presenting a summary of the event's program in multimedia format (“flash news”: ABC news). This was followed by a video summarizing the activities carried out during the last year of the project, both in the classroom and in the field, namely at the Reynolds Wine Growers estate in Arronches. Next, a group of students and teachers were interviewed in order to hear directly from them how they experienced the ABC project and what it meant to them. The ABC news continued with presentations of the students' work, in various formats, on the project's themes. We started with specific work on endophytic microorganisms, where an ESAE student, Henrique Canha, had the opportunity to do his internship and explained how microbiology can be used to help farmers.
The next moment was dedicated to the theme of the circular economy. The students presented four videos in interview format, aimed at various groups in our society (students, teachers, environmentalists, technicians and farmers), focusing mainly on the importance of the circular economy, but not only. There was also time to read a letter encouraging circular economy practices, written by the students of the D. Sancho II Secondary School and addressed to the Mayor of Elvas, Comendador Rondão de Almeida. Councillor Hermenegildo Rodrigues had the opportunity to respond to the letter and to inform the audience about current circular economy practices and those planned for the near future in the Municipality of Elvas.
Another of the topics covered was ecosystem services in vineyards. The students decided to present this topic in the form of a scientific poster. In this space, the student authors were interviewed about various topics in vineyard agroecology and the different types of benefits (services) that can be obtained with this approach. The next panel, in video format and entirely coordinated by ESAE students, was dedicated to microbiome activities, with testimonies from Nélson Martins, farm manager at Reynolds Wine Growers, higher education students and researchers on the current relevance of agricultural management based on improving the soil microbiome.
The event continued with a surprise theatrical performance by a group of students from the D. Sancho II Secondary School. In this short play, the students acted out an argument between three actors from our rural environment (farmer, citizen and scientist) on the subject of organic farming vs. conventional farming. For the originality and audacity of the actors, this activity was awarded a prize by the project team. The event ended with the screening of a video on citizen science prepared by a group of students from the D. Sancho II Secondary School. The project team considered this video elaborate and surprising, and it was also awarded a prize.
The ABC project leaves behind an educational program that established a collaboration between InPP and the local school and which helped students become aware of the tools they have at their disposal to promote biodiversity in agriculture, participate in a citizen science project, embrace the circular economy, understand the value of natural resources and the types of ecosystem services they provide.
Poster promoting the final event of the ABC - AgriBioCircular project
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was present at the 6th edition of NOVA Science & Innovation Day, promoted by NOVA University Lisbon, at the Rectory facilities on the Campolide Campus in Lisbon, on November 21st.
NOVA Science & Innovation Day aimed to showcase the science, research and innovation of excellence at the University and was a unique opportunity for the academic community, as well as the general public, to get to know the scientific work carried out at NOVA University Lisbon and how it translates into innovation and the creation of value for society.
Throughout the day, an Innovation Fair was also held in the Rectory atrium, as part of the initiative. Visitors to the Fair had the opportunity to learn about the collaborative laboratory (CoLAB) and what it is already doing for crop protection and pest and disease prevention, with a highly qualified team and very broad and diverse skills.
Other CoLABs, proprietary technologies and specialized services were also represented at the Innovation Fair, Spin-offs and other companies in the University's ecosystem.
NOVA Science & Innovation Day was a unique opportunity for the academic community and the public to get a closer look at the work of excellence carried out at NOVA University Lisbon, and how it translates into innovation and the creation of value for society.
1st photo - InPP stand at NOVA Science & Innovation Day. 2nd and 3rd photos - Inês Ferreira, InPP's communications manager, on the right, representing InPP
NOVA Science & Innovation Day took place at the Rectory of NOVA University Lisbon
InnovPlantProtect (InPP) was in Lisbon on November 16 for the 4th Annual Meeting of Collaborative Laboratories (CoLAB), organized by the National Innovation Agency (ANI), which aimed to promote and monitor the activities and progressive evolution of the 41 currently recognized CoLABs, as well as their development in the context of regional, national and European research and innovation strategies.
The meeting, on the theme of “Innovation and Technological Valorization towards the Sustainable Development Goals”, brought together the CoLABs and some of the main players in the National Scientific and Technological System to participate in a discussion on the role of Research and Technology in addressing the SDGs, which was attended by some CoLABs, namely members of the BUILT CoLAB, from ForestWISE and DTX, They shared some of the best practices and success stories from their CoLABs. The moderator was Inês Sequeira, from Impact House.
Afterwards, the CoLAB had the opportunity to learn more about “Sustainable Funding Opportunities”, with the active presence of members of the European Commission, from the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Alentejo), the Mobilizing Agenda ILLIANCE, from the Mobilizing Agenda InsectERA - the ERA of insects, and ANI, as well as listening to the International Keynote, Jerry Sheehan, Director for Science, Technology, and Innovation, from OECD.
In the afternoon, CoLAB members had the opportunity to take part in a more practical activity, through a workshop that aimed to maximize the impact of the brand through collaboration. The annual CoLAB report was another of the topics covered.
This was an excellent opportunity to discuss how these entities can collaboratively contribute to solving the main challenges and most pressing issues of our time, putting innovation and knowledge at the service of society. It was also a moment to share good practices and exchange experiences.
Find out more about the event on the ANI website here.
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