The IPANEMA project combined complementary expertise of European academic (Biosense Institute, INRAE, INESC-MN, Wageningen University, Ben Gurion University, University of Maribor, University of Novi Sad - Faculty of Sciences, University of Padova) and industrial beneficiaries (Ekofungi, PhotonicSys, Eden Tech, 2M Pharma, Mycomedica), as well as third country technological leaders (Columbia University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, University of Buenos Aires).
It achieved an efficient transfer of knowledge through balanced and carefully planned staff exchange between Consortium members.
The joint research and innovation projects were carried out through international and intersectoral secondments and training, which enabled participating institutions to expand their interdisciplinary knowledge and achieve imperative scientific breakthroughs while converting the research results into innovations.
IPANEMA implemented activities well beyond the current state-of-the-art by focusing fundamental research towards development of concrete laboratory prototypes/early-stage products and by exposing researchers to the process of co-creation together with the industrial partners. Strong impact on scientific community is reflected through a total of 40 scientific papers in peer-reviewed high-impact journals, 17 conference papers, and 5 book chapters.
Through the IPANEMA project, a total of 29 novel sensing methods and prototypes were developed, covering healthcare – tissue engineering, agriculture – food industry, and environmental – freshwater quality, and were further extended to other related research topics.
Apart from research excellence, the IPANEMA project placed a strong emphasis on fostering the acquisition of key soft skills necessary for the researchers to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including funding agencies, venture capitalists (VCs), ICT industries, end-users (e.g. farmers, environmental scientists), and biotech companies. By equipping researchers with these skills, IPANEMA aimed to enhance their career development, enabling them to actively contribute to the evolving science ecosystem in Europe.
Furthermore, the project nurtured an entrepreneurial mindset, empowering researchers to convert scientific knowledge into innovations, create intellectual property rights (IPR), write successful patent applications, and even explore the possibility of setting up spin-offs. These objectives were achieved through a combination of exposure to best practices during secondments at SME partners, as well as through a carefully designed training program in soft skills. The program included specific activities tailored to the needs of young researchers, such as career counseling and entrepreneurship training, significantly enhancing the career perspectives of the researchers, particularly early-stage researchers (ESRs). As a result, IPANEMA researchers are now better equipped to become future leaders in both science and industry.
In summary, IPANEMA trained a total of 107 researchers (58 ESRs) facilitating significant professional and career development of ESRs, experienced researchers and staff members, enabling them to actively contribute to Europe’s evolving scientific and innovation ecosystem.
IPANEMA significantly contributed to the development of new and lasting research collaborations and knowledge transfer between participating academic and industrial organizations, in Europe, US, China and Argentina. IPANEMA’s results provide a boost to research and innovation potential at the European and global levels and enhance the potential and future career perspectives of a significant number of researchers and entrepreneurs from participating institutions.
