Crédito Agrícola announced the winning projects of the 12th edition of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award, in a ceremony held at the Pavilhão de Portugal, in Lisbon. The event was attended by Simão Soares, president of P-BIO – Portuguese Bioindustry Association, and Sérgio Raposo Frade, president of Grupo Crédito Agrícola.
The initiative distinguishes innovative projects in the agricultural, agri-food and forestry sectors, promoting competitiveness, modernization and the transition to more sustainable production models.
Sérgio Raposo Frade highlighted that “over 12 editions, this Award has consolidated itself as a true platform for valuing the sector’s knowledge, technology and entrepreneurial capacity. As a financial group with a cooperative matrix, with 115 years of history serving communities, we assume a strategic responsibility to support solutions that generate economic, environmental and social impact. We believe that innovation is a critical factor of competitiveness and resilience, and that is why we will continue investing in projects that strengthen sustainability of the agri-food and forestry value chain, in close coordination with the national science and technology ecosystem”.
Projects awarded in four categories
In its 12th edition, the award distinguished projects in four categories, in addition to awarding a High Potential Project promoted by an Associate Crédito Agrícola, an Honorable Mention “Innovation in Partnership” and the BfK Awards Distinction, granted by the National Innovation Agency (ANI).
In the New Technologies in Agricultural Production category, the Modular-E project won, a modular, electric and autonomous robot designed to operate in permanent crops, including on high slope terrain, even without satellite navigation, thanks to an intelligent navigation system.
The Resilience of Small Farmers and Rural Communities award was awarded to the Criatura project, focused on the development of innovative food products from undervalued raw materials from national organic farming, promoting short chains, traceability and valorization of small producers.
In the Conservation of Forest Ecosystems category, the Trovador project was distinguished with a robotic tree planting service designed to optimize reforestation processes and contribute to the more effective restoration of ecosystems.
In the Innovation in the Value Chain category, the award was given to CELLBLUE, which develops innovative products based on cellular octopus, combining biotechnology with plant and marine ingredients.
The High Potential Project promoted by Associate Crédito Agrícola distinguished the “Coffee” from Alternative Grains, an alternative to traditional coffee based on mixtures of roasted and ground legumes.
The Honorable Mention “Innovation in Partnership” and the BfK Awards by ANI Distinction were awarded to the NSH – NanoSoilHealth project, which develops biodegradable and bioactive nanomembranes with controlled-release biofertilizers, without using microplastics.
The winning projects can be found at .
Also read:
