GREEN-IT Principal Investigator Rita Abranches wins InnOValley PoC project
GREEN-IT member and ITQB NOVA researcher Rita Abranches saw her project awarded at the first edition of the InnoValley Proof of Concept Fund, alongside two other projects from ITQB NOVA and one from IGC. The selected projects will receive 50 000€ to further develop their proposal with a tech transfer view over 12 months.
The winning project – “Biofactories for high value natural pigments: the production of carotenoids in plant cell cultures” – looks to explore the potential of plant cell cultures as an alternative for the biological production of carotenoids - a group of natural pigments recognized as bioactive compounds beneficial to human health -, in a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way. They will be a natural source, with a green technology, cheaper, and of easy maintenance of a high-quality final product. At a time when there is a growing demand for carotenoids from natural sources, this collaborative project that unites chemistry and biology aims to contribute toward access to a healthier diet.
The InnOValley Proof of Concept Fund is an initiative of the InnOValley Innovation Unit, shared between the ITQB NOVA and IGC in partnership with the Municipality of Oeiras, which embraced this project under one of the three pillars of the Oeiras Strategy for Science and Technology. Projects were awarded on May 20th, in a ceremony in Oeiras, with the presence of the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Elvira Fortunato, The President of the Oeiras Municipality, Isaltino Morais, the Rector of NOVA University Lisbon, João Sàágua, and the Administrator of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, António Feijó.
Members of the project: Rita Ventura, Bárbara Rebelo, Rita Abranches, Peter Kis
