Portugal

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Introduction

Biotechnology is considered to be as one of the priority sectors for growth and competitiveness in Portugal. The National Innovation Plan presented by the Government in 2005, before the general election, noted biotechnology was considered as one of the six priority areas that should contribute to create innovation platforms. However, while research in biotech has been supported through non-directed channels and through generic policy-directed initiatives, there has been no specific initiative to support research in biotechnology and the number of biotech companies is still low.



I. Research and Innovation

Modern industrial biotechnology is a relatively new discipline, with major areas of knowledge still to be explored. Public support to research as well as the establishment of pilot and demonstration facilities to scale-up individual processes will therefore help in the development of a European bio-based economy.


A. Public research funding

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Foundation for Science and Technology) is member as partner of the European Network Area on Industrial biotechnology (ERA-net IB).

The Laboratório AssociadoInstitute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (IBB) is a research and development (R&D) unit, founded in October 2006 aiming to be a strategic infrastructure for the development of the Portuguese R&D and innovation policies in the areas of Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Life, Biomedical and Agricultural Sciences. IBB combines its R&D activities with advanced education, technology transfer, consulting and services, with the aim of fostering the industrial, health, agriculture and environmental sectors.
IBB is a nation-wide Institution and a partnership of five research units funded by “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia”, from Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. These centres are:

The three major areas of research in the field of industrial biotechnology are (more information):

  • Biological and Chemical Processes - Molecular and Cell Engineering; Reaction Engineering; Purification of Biomolecules and Valorisation of Natural Products; and Process design.
  • Nanobiotechnology, Micro and Nano-devices; Nano-structured catalytic materials; and Nanoparticles.
  • Modelling of Biological and Chemical Systems - Computational and predictive models; and Biosystems analysis.

The Department of Paper Science and Technology , of the University of Beira Interior carries research which covers the whole chain, from wood to paper. The following scientific topics are included under the research lines: biobleaching, biorefining, new natural products/biorefinery and bioethanol. More information.

The Research Centre for Chemical Processes Engineering and Forest Products (CIEPQPF) located in the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Coimbra works namely in Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Process Systems Engineering and Engineering of Forest Products. More information.


B. Pilot and demonstration plants

A descriptive list of pilot and demonstration plants in Portugal is available here.


II. Policy

Public authorities can promote the quick take-up of industrial biotechnology innovations by implementing a number of “instruments” or policy initiatives. This can be the improvement of the regulatory framework; the integration of specification for bio-based products in public procurement; the establishment of standardisation, labelling and certification schemes to overcome perceived uncertainty about product properties and weak market transparency; the development of financial instruments and supports to increase investments into research, technology development and innovation as well as the elaboration of communication and information campaign to communicate the benefits of bio-based products to users.


A. Policies and regulations

National regulatory framework typically adheres to EU-wide regulations. As such, no national regulatory or political restraints exist regarding introduction of biobased products, however, no policies have been implemented to support the development and/or market penetration of biobased products.


B. Public procurement

There is no National Action Plans on Green Procurement.


C. Standardisation, labelling and certification

There is no national labelling for biobased products, neither voluntary certification.


D. Access to finance

Financing is granted through the:

The projects range from basic research to pre-competitive projects that are supposed to benefit society and have an impact on national or regional economies and on human resource qualification upgrade. Typically the grants can cover up to 50% (75% for SMEs) of the investment of the companies in R&D activities. Demonstration activities are supported in any economic sector, however, no large scale industrial biotechnology demonstration plants project exist.

Biocant Park is the first Portuguese Science and Technology Park exclusively dedicated to Biotechnology promoting the formation of a cluster of companies and R&D institutions of excellence in the centre region of Portugal. It is the result of an investment made by the City of Cantanhede, Centre for Neurosciences of Coimbra and Biocant Park.

CEbio - Portuguese R&D network of excellence on bioenergy is a non-profit organization involving universities, R&D institutions and private companies focused in the development, promotion and use of bioenergy. The mission of CEbio is to add dynamism to the emerging Bioenergy sector in Portugal and to promote national and international interactive synergies in the field. More information.


E. Communication

The awareness of the potential benefits of bio-based products and processes is very low in Portugal. No specific communication activities target to the general public in the area of bio-based products have been implemented yet.

A Biotechnology Week is being jointly organized by the Portuguese Institute for the Medium and Small Enterprises and Innovation, the University of Minho, the MIT-Portugal Programme, in which a full day will be dedicated to industrial biotechnology (seminar organised by APBio, IAPMEI and E-Unlimited). The main goals of this seminar are:

  • to increase general awareness of industrial biotechnology and its current and potential benefits;
  • to show to national policy makers EU-wide best practices and their positive effects on developing and supporting sustainable bioeconomies;
  • to present the opportunities of industrial biotechnology to national companies that could largely benefit from it, particularly from the chemical, pulp and paper, forestry, energy, textile, food and drink sectors.

Industrial biotechnology enterprises are represented through the national association APBio.
APBio also organises a yearly event, Biomeet with significant impact on national media that promotes the awareness of biotechnology.



Main Sources

APBio
Portuguese delegate to the COMP-Bio Network (European Commission, DG Enterprise)
FP7 National Contact Point for Biotechnology