Innovation Day 2025 Reinforces the University’s Role in Innovation and Knowledge Transfer
On May 14, the Carvalho Guerra Auditorium at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto Campus, hosted another edition of Innovation Day, an annual event organized by the Faculty of Biotechnology (ESB). This year, the event was part of the faculty's 40th anniversary celebrations, under the theme “Innovation to Impact the Future.”
The initiative brought together researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovation leaders around the common goal of bridging science and industry to develop solutions with economic, social, and environmental impact. Throughout the afternoon, topics such as the valorisation of agri-food by-products, sustainability in food production, digital technologies for quality control, and functional ingredients for human and animal health were discussed.
At the opening of the event, Paula Castro, Director of the Faculty of Biotechnology, emphasized:
"Innovation Day shows how applied science and collaboration with businesses are essential to accelerate solutions with real impact. It is through the connection between knowledge and the market that we can create desirable futures in food, health, and the environment."
The programme began with the Transform for Europe Science Café on Innovation, featuring Celine Abecassis-Moedas (Vice-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa), Guido Bortoluzzi (University of Trieste), and Ricardo Simões (CCDR-Norte) as moderator. The session highlighted the importance of rethinking traditional innovation models and fostering collaborative networks among academic institutions, companies, and society.
"It is essential to bring science closer to people and to the real challenges faced by companies. Initiatives like this reinforce the transformative role of universities as drivers of innovation," said Celine Abecassis-Moedas during her intervention.
The event continued with the Innovation Pitches, where ten concrete research and innovation cases were presented in the fields of biotechnology, sustainability, and food. Projects such as Skin4Skin, Freetilizer, CATALYSE, Tecmafoods, Simplyeast, and AgroGrIN Tech demonstrated how by-products and waste can be transformed into added value for both society and the market.
The afternoon concluded with the roundtable “Accelerating Innovation to Market,” moderated by Manuela Pintado, Director of the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF). The session brought together leaders from national and international companies such as Digestiva, ETSA, and Cortadoria Nacional do Pêlo to discuss the challenges and opportunities of technology transfer.
Innovation Day 2025 once again stood out as a privileged space for dialogue between science and industry, reaffirming the commitment of the Faculty of Biotechnology and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa to fostering innovative, sustainable, and high-impact solutions.