Applications open for the Amyris Innovation BIG Impact Award

Distinguish "out of the box" biotechnology-based projects that can have a major impact on society. This is the main objective of the Amyris Innovation BIG Impact Award. A joint initiative between the Faculty of Biotechnology, Porto Regional Center, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and its Alumni Association (ALUMNI), in partnership with Amyris Inc. This year the award will have two categories according to the maturity of the projects: "Big Innovation Award" and "Rising Innovation Award". Applications are already open and will run until 20 September 2022.

Hugo Choupina, co-organizer of the event and vice president of the ALUMNI Association of the School of Biotechnology, highlights that "the main objective is to support the transition of innovative ideas and research activities to the market and also to highlight the importance of promoting innovative biotechnology projects and 'out of the box', so that it is possible to obtain positive, sustainable and measurable impacts on society." Tiago Gonçalves and Anabela Veiga, co-organisers of the event and members of ALUMNI, also add that "the fact that Amyris is associated with this initiative again demonstrates that the path we are following is of national but also international relevance."

Ana Leite Oliveira, co-organiser of the event and coordinator of the Master's in Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Biotechnology of the Universidade Católica, states that "generating innovation from biotechnological knowledge is a challenge, but high impact projects, focused on concrete objectives, will certainly contribute to important social and economic developments."

"We are proud to support entrepreneurs who are dedicated to creating a positive impact on our planet, promoting change and innovation within the Circular Economy," points out John Melo, president and CEO of Amyris. "This year's BIG Impact Awards will recognize companies and individuals who are dedicated to innovative, disruptive and scalable ideas that will drive meaningful impact in an untapped world," he concludes.

The winners of this year's Amyris Innovation BIG Impact Award, subdivided into a "Big Innovation Award" and a "Rising Innovation Award", will be announced at the 4th edition of the "Think Big in Biotechnology" Innovation Forum. This year the event will take place on 12 November and the theme will be "Accelerating bio-innovation, now!

For more information and the competition rules, see: FIB 2022 | Universidade Católica Portuguesa no Porto (ucp.pt)

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