FCT NOVA presents innovative projects with impact on society to the Governo+Próximo innitiative

Catarina Sarmento e Castro, Minister of Justice, Elvira Fortunato, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Isabel Ferreira, Secretary of State for Regional Development, Mário Campolargo, Secretary of State for Digitalization and Administrative Modernization, and Cláudio Vilar Furtado, President of the National Institute of Industrial Property, visited FCT NOVA to learn about the innovative projects with an impact on society developed at the Caparica Campus.

"The University has this opportunity to present, in the appropriate place, the deep relationship with society", said João Sáàgua, Rector of NOVA. Of the 18 Mobilizing Agendas won by NOVA, 14 involve FCT NOVA, and the construction of a district whose centre is knowledge are among the examples that illustrate the strong relationship that the School has maintained out of doors.  

Within the Mobilising Agendas for Business Innovation, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the entourage had the opportunity  learn about some of the projects that the School has conquered. These projects include the Blue Bioeconomy Pact, which aims to renew the Portuguese industries by integratingf blue biotechnology solutions into the value chains,to enhance the sustainable use of marine bio-resources and carbon neutral innovation, and the InsectERA, a project that intends to use insects as alternatives both in food, and cosmetics and even in bioremediation. 

The Dean of FCT NOVA, José Júlio Alferes, added that the agenda of the visit was small to transmit all the innovative force that lives in the School, which, in addition to the PRR, has been able to capture European funding and create collaborations with companies. An example of this is TaRDIS, a European project that received seven million euros in funding and which aims to ensure greater efficiency and speed in computer systems. The relationships that the School establishes with industry, evident in its participation in nine collaborative projects, were illustrated with the case of AlmaScience, a Colab working to develop sustainable technology - based on materials such as cork and bio-cellulose - for large-scale industrial production. The 3D Printing Center for Health and UNINOVA projects, such as IPSTERS, further demonstrated the breadth of the work that takes place at the School with an impact on society.

"Innovation and research are at the basis of teaching at NOVA and this is how we give our students skills for the future. This culture is evident in our School, as exemplified by the Entrepreneurship programme, probably the largest in Europe," said Eurico Cabrita, Vice-Dean for Innovation and Research at FCT NOVA. "It is with these tools that we ensure that our students are and will be the engine of innovation in Portuguese society," he added.

C-mo Medical Solutions was one of the companies that the delegation had the opportunity to meet. Formed by former students of FCT NOVA, this startup created a medical device to monitor patients' cough in order to achieve more effective diagnoses and treatments.

The visit, included within the scope of the Governo+Próximo, initiative, whose main objective is to create proximity and direct contact with each region and its population, took place on March 29 and went through the FCT FabLab, the laboratories of the Department of Chemistry, the Support Office for Innovation, Research and Impact Strategy, and the Madan Park. 

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