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.
“Biotechnology should be seen from a broader perspective than just the development of new [plant] varieties. It is also the use of biological resources for the development and production of goods and services that we need,” stresses Pedro Fevereiro, executive director of InnovPlantProtect (InPP), and adds: “We need to find new ways of looking at agricultural production, (...) using all the knowledge and technology we have available.”.
Pedro Fevereiro took part in the panel entitled “The impact of biotechnology on new agricultural crops”, which was part of the conference “The importance of biotechnology in agriculture”, held this Tuesday, October 17, at the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon.
This panel also featured Jorge Canhoto, President of the Biotechnology Information Center (CiB), Patrícia Fonseca, Agricultural Consultant and Former Member of Parliament and was moderated by Fernanda Freitas, Journalist.
In addition to the speakers on this panel, Eduardo Diniz, director-general of the Planning, Policies and General Administration Office (GPP), Jaime Piçarra, secretary-general of the Portuguese Association of Compound Feed Manufacturers (IACA), Paula Cruz Garcia, deputy director-general of the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary (DGAV), José Diogo Albuquerque, former Secretary of State for Agriculture and specialist in agricultural policies, and David Pontes, director of the Público newspaper, the event's media partner.
Image credits: Henrique Casinhas
The Secretary of State for Agriculture, Gonçalo Rodrigues, was in charge of the closing session.
Watch the recording on Público's YouTube channel here.
The initiative was organized by InPP, IACA and CiB, with the collaboration of Público newspaper.
O InnovPlantProtect (InPP) participou no seminário “Tecnologia e Informação na Agricultura – Smart Farm Virtual”, promovido pela Associação Nacional da Indústria para a Proteção das Plantas (ANIPLA), que decorreu na Universidade de Évora (WOW), durante a tarde do passado dia 11 de outubro.
Pedro Fevereiro, diretor executivo do InPP, participou no painel “Ferramentas para sistemas de produção mais sustentáveis” para falar sobre a importância da investigação e desenvolvimento de Biopesticidas para o estabelecimento de sistema de produção mais sustentáveis.
O CEO do InPP foi ainda orador na mesa-redonda “Tecnologia e Informação na Agricultura”, na qual participaram também Ana Paiva Brandão, Assessora da Direção e colaboradora em projetos na Associação Portuguesa de Mobilização de Conservação do Solo (APOSOLO), e Alexandre Alves, Secretário Executivo da Associação Técnica dos Viticultores do Alentejo (ATEVA). A moderação da mesa redonda ficou a cargo de João Cardoso, Diretor Executivo da ANIPLA.
Topics such as the importance of biotechnology in adapting plants to the challenges of climate change, the need to make digital and precision agriculture accessible, and how conservation agriculture protects the soil and promotes biodiversity were also debated at the event, which was organized as part of the Smart Farm Hub project, in which InPP is a partner.
Um agradecimento especial à ANIPLA pela iniciativa! Foi um excelente momento para promover boas práticas agrícolas e para sensibilizar para os temas mais preocupantes para o setor agrícola.
O InPP visitou a 15ª edição da feira internacional Fruit Attraction, que se realizou de 3 a 5 de outubro, em Madrid. A Fruit Attraction é uma das mais importantes feiras anuais do setor hortofrutícola.
O objetivo da visita foi promover o networking com as empresas participantes do setor, dar a conhecer o CoLAB e as soluções inovadoras de base biológica e digital que temos disponíveis para a proteção de culturas contra pragas e doenças, bem como explorar parcerias estratégicas.
A Fruit Attraction 2023, organizada pela IFEMA MADRID e FEPEX, tendo a Andaluzia como região convidada, registou a maior participação da sua história com 2.000 empresas expositoras de 56 países, mais de 64.000 metros quadrados de área útil e uma presença de 90.000 profissionais de 135 países.
O InPP visitou a feira e os diversos parceiros que estiveram sob a alçada da representação Portuguesa
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