Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BlueBio4Future (BlueBio4Future – Blue Biotechnology and Bioengineering for the Current and Future Development of a Blue Bioeconomy in Portugal)
Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-09-30
Marine Biotechnology (MB) was identified by the EU Blue Growth Strategy (2012) as an enabling activity of high potential for the bioeconomy of Europe. Many products from marine biotechnology are already used in global markets for food and feed, cosmetics, aquaculture, agriculture, chemistry and pharmacology. Nevertheless, the potential for new products development is huge since marine biodiversity and in special, the marine microbiome, is far from being known and exploited. For that purpose, the aspects of Bioengineering - bioprocesses, synthetic biology, green chemistry, and bioinformatics - are fundamental. BlueBio4Future aims to enhance CIIMAR research excellence in MB area, in special Bioengineering, contributing to increasing attractiveness for outstanding researchers and establishing a long-term impact at regional, national and European levels. The ERA Chair holder will establish a high-performing team in MB at CIIMAR, contributing to increasing the knowledge and competitiveness of CIIMAR in the area of MB. This will be done by attracting funds at national and international level, by the supervision of MSc and PhD students, producing high-ranked research outputs, protecting intellectual property and transferring knowledge to stakeholders and contributing to increasing literacy in MB. In order to produce structural changes at CIIMAR in the area of MB, there is a need to attract outstanding researchers in the field of Bioengineering that could implement the framework for strengthening long-term research and innovation enabling environment in the area of MB. The establishment of the ERA CHAIR BlueBio4Future will increase the levels of the research activity in the area of bioengineering in CIIMAR, enhance the capability of the CIIMAR to succeed in competitive research funding, contribute to RIS3 strategies and increased interaction with main actors of the innovation ecosystem and will promote institutional changes to comply with ERA priorities.
The BlueBio4Future project aims to enhance CIIMAR research in Marine Biotechnology (MB) to an excellence level, with particular focus on Bioengineering – bioprocesses, synthetic biology, green chemistry and bioinformatics. To achieve such goals, the hiring of a high standard ERA Chair holder, leading the recruitment of a high performing team that will increase the CIIMAR standards on MB research, attractiveness and competitiveness in the area.
Despite the constraints of COVID-19 pandemic, the project was implemented, human resources hired and research work was carried out in the areas of synthetic biology, discovery of new compounds and bioinformatics which will result in presentations at international conferences and submitted publications (featuring in the next period report), some of them already public through preprint publications. All scientific data published on those preprints is currently public, and in accordance with the FAIR principles and as described on the Data Management Plan of the BlueBio4Future project, already submitted to the EC.
Despite the constraints of COVID-19 pandemic, the project was implemented, human resources hired and research work was carried out in the areas of synthetic biology, discovery of new compounds and bioinformatics which will result in presentations at international conferences and submitted publications (featuring in the next period report), some of them already public through preprint publications. All scientific data published on those preprints is currently public, and in accordance with the FAIR principles and as described on the Data Management Plan of the BlueBio4Future project, already submitted to the EC.
Enhance S&T capacity and staff’s research
1. Optimization of technology platforms, not only with new equipment, human resources but, essentially, specialized knowledge.
2. Implementation of new methodologies and forefront technologies in bioengineering.
3. It is expected to increase the quality and influential papers and books, participation in workshops, organization of discussion groups and committees
4. Submission of ERC grant proposals and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Innovative Training Networks and Individual fellowships)
Competitiveness and sustainability of European biotechnological industries
1. Submission of research proposals to HORIZON EUROPE, namely with market-driven proposals
2. Increase the attractiveness of the institution for the internationally excellent and mobile researchers
3. Improve capability to compete successfully for internationally competitive research funding
4. Increase national and international partnerships
5. Increase ocean literacy for all.
Improvement of the innovation capacity and stakeholders
1. CIIMAR should become a national example of bridging the cross-fertilization activities performed in academia and innovating industry and the marked in a long run.
2. Stakeholder collaboration and knowledge transfer between research and industry is being the key to track market trends and needs, identify opportunities for innovative technologies and products and fast-track product commercialization and the impact of the emerging biotechnological SMEs.
3. Reinforce social and economic impact of our research, including science-policy interfaces.
1. Optimization of technology platforms, not only with new equipment, human resources but, essentially, specialized knowledge.
2. Implementation of new methodologies and forefront technologies in bioengineering.
3. It is expected to increase the quality and influential papers and books, participation in workshops, organization of discussion groups and committees
4. Submission of ERC grant proposals and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Innovative Training Networks and Individual fellowships)
Competitiveness and sustainability of European biotechnological industries
1. Submission of research proposals to HORIZON EUROPE, namely with market-driven proposals
2. Increase the attractiveness of the institution for the internationally excellent and mobile researchers
3. Improve capability to compete successfully for internationally competitive research funding
4. Increase national and international partnerships
5. Increase ocean literacy for all.
Improvement of the innovation capacity and stakeholders
1. CIIMAR should become a national example of bridging the cross-fertilization activities performed in academia and innovating industry and the marked in a long run.
2. Stakeholder collaboration and knowledge transfer between research and industry is being the key to track market trends and needs, identify opportunities for innovative technologies and products and fast-track product commercialization and the impact of the emerging biotechnological SMEs.
3. Reinforce social and economic impact of our research, including science-policy interfaces.