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.
The new InnovPlantProtect (InPP) space, which involved an investment of 2.8 million euros, was officially inaugurated this Thursday, July 28, at 2:30 p.m. in the building of the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV) - Elvas Pole, in Elvas, in the presence of 120 guests.
The inauguration session was attended by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, the Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, the Secretary of State for Regional Development, Isabel Ferreira, the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Rui Martinho, and the Councillor for Elvas Municipal Council (C.M. Elvas), Hermenegildo Rodrigues, who was representing the Mayor of Elvas.
Ana Abrunhosa began by congratulating and thanking the entire InPP team for their work and emphasized that “in order to carry out quality research, anywhere and not just in the geographies considered to be the most usual, it is necessary to provide highly qualified human resources in the areas to be researched, adequate facilities, cutting-edge equipment and state-of-the-art technology” and, according to the minister, “the InPP has all these conditions”.
The Minister for Territorial Cohesion stressed the role of “fair working conditions and salaries” as additional factors that contribute to InPP being a project of “excellence”, which “has everything it needs to fulfill its scientific aspirations” and also warned of the “importance that European funds have had and must continue to have for projects like this: a regional development project based on a marriage that we want to be a happy one between knowledge, research, companies and the community”.
Elvira Fortunato highlighted the importance of the InPP and its mission to “work actively to find practical, innovative and sustainable solutions in such an important and vital area as agriculture and the preservation of the environment and natural resources” in the current national and global context and added that the InPP “is a meeting of minds of various national and international players, to do more and better science, to offer society more technology and innovation and to transform knowledge into practical solutions that improve people's lives.”
“We need all the players, all the researchers and all the institutions like the ones that have come together today around this collaborative laboratory,” stressed the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education and concluded her speech with a message of strength for the entire InPP team: “May this be a house where your work is consolidated and strengthened for many years to come. Your success will be everyone's success”.
Isabel Ferreira highlighted the importance of the InPP's areas of activity, especially in the “context of the pandemic and the war that we are experiencing, which has increasingly shown the importance of the agri-food sector as a response to emergency and crisis situations. And, therefore, this approach that the InPP takes of focusing its intervention on a phase even before production itself, and assuming this fundamental role of bringing scientific knowledge of excellence that exists in these themes, and especially in this theme of the fight against pests and diseases that affect the largest and most important agricultural crops.”
The Secretary of State for Regional Development wished the CoLABs a “successful journey” and stressed the importance of funding, namely “competitive funding, the provision of services, so that the CoLABs are increasingly self-sustainable”.
Rui Martinho highlighted the work that has been carried out by the InPP team, particularly in the control and eradication of Xylella fastidiosa and in mitigating the effect of bacterial fire, which “constitute very significant threats to our productive activity”.
“We are dealing with an organization [the InPP] that plays a central role in the development of agriculture, in the economic and environmental performance of our farms and, due to its composition, will ensure the necessary transfer of knowledge to the sector and to companies and entities involved in the production process,” said the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Finally, Hermenegildo Rodrigues began his speech by expressing the municipality's “pride in being part of this project, as a privileged partner, recognizing the added value it brings to this region, which is essentially agricultural, and at the same time allowing us, through scientific knowledge, to make ourselves known to the world”.
After the inauguration session, CoLAB was presented by Margarida Oliveira, chairman of the InPP Board of Directors, and Pedro Fevereiro, executive director.
Pedro Fevereiro began by thanking all the guests present and congratulating the associates for the “path they have traveled”, considering them to be “the soul of the institution”, without whom, according to the CEO, “it would not be possible to build what we have built”. The executive director also thanked the funding and promoting bodies, the entire team, as well as InPP's clients “for the trust they have shown”, and the institutions that have agreed to partner and collaborate with CoLAB.
According to Pedro Fevereiro, InPP “has to develop innovation, protect it and deliver it to those capable of putting it on the market”. One of InPP's strategic objectives is to create industrial property by developing new products that can be patented and then handed over to companies and placed on the market, thus generating value.
During his speech, the executive director also referred to the initial funding of around seven million euros, of which 2.8 million were used to modernize the infrastructure and equipment, which “give the opportunity to develop innovative products”, and highlighted the 110,000 euros that resulted from InPP's activity in 2021, a figure that will be “far exceeded” in 2022.
Pedro Fevereiro ended his speech looking to the future. According to the CEO, the future of the institution will involve maintaining the team, ensuring InPP's financial sustainability, attracting public and private funding for CoLAB and creating services that meet the needs of clients and solve their problems.
The event ended with a tour of the new facilities.
On January 18, 2021, InPP began work on its permanent premises in the building of INIAV Elvas, a founding member of InPP, and is now fully operational, having completed all the refurbishment of the building and installed all the equipment. The inauguration thus marks a new stage for InPP, in which it intends to continue developing new products (new biopesticides and new resistant plants) and services for farmers, as well as at a social and regional level, insofar as it positions itself as a hub for attracting investment to the Alentejo region and also boosts the creation of qualified jobs and the densification of the country's interior.
This is a fundamental milestone in the history of InPP, its associates, members of the governing bodies and partners, and an essential tool for the future of the institution, being central to the affirmation of the mission to develop innovative, biological and digital solutions to promote safer, more sustainable and productive agricultural production methods, adjustable to the variations introduced by climate change in the Alentejo region.
Researchers at InnovPlantProtect (InPP) have just submitted, on July 21, 2022, the first provisional patent application for the industrial protection of a bacterial strain, isolated from nature and ecologically safe, which is highly effective in controlling fire blight.
Bacterial fire is a disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, This is a major cause of the disease, which affects several plant species, particularly those in the rosaceae family, namely pear and apple trees, and has had a huge negative impact on rock pear and apple orchards in Portugal, as there are no efficient solutions for controlling it.
“This is the first of several innovative biological products under development at InnovPlantProtect. We are certain that this and other biological agents under development in this CoLab will have a decisive impact on the protection of Mediterranean crops and the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal,” says Pedro Fevereiro, Executive Director of InPP.
Example of a pear plant with fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora
InPP has seen the approval of two mobilizing agendas of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) “Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation - Proposals for the Economy of the Future” in which it participates: InsectERA and the Blue Bioeconomy Pact.
The InsectERA agenda, which involves a total investment of €57 million, aims to apply circular economy concepts to the insect industry. The idea is to return by-products from the agro-industry, and some agricultural and urban waste, to the value chain, in the form of nutritional solutions for people, animals and plants, as well as new industrial solutions, from cosmetics to bioplastics. The consortium is led by INGREDIENT ODYSSEY, S.A.
The Blue Bioeconomy Pact agenda, led by Inovamar and corresponding to a total investment of €220 million, aims to reindustrialize the blue bioeconomy by creating new economic models based on the use of marine bio-resources, also creating the first blue bioeconomy in the world. hub european blue bioeconomy.
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