Atlantic Innovation Week showcases science in the Azores

The executive director of TERINOV, Duarte Pimentel, says that the second edition of the Atlantic Innovation Week (AIW) was a showcase of “the science made in the Azores”.The second edition of the AIW took place this week in Praia da Vitória, organized by the AIR Centre - Atlantic International Research Centre and TERINOV - Science and Technology Park of Terceira island, in partnership with the City Council."We believe this is the largest annual scientific event that the Azores host. It allows us to discuss solutions and collect information on best practices for problems that global society has to solve, but it is also a showcase of what is done well in the Azores," Duarte Pimentel told Açoriano Oriental at the end of the event.Still on the event, which was attended by 140 people and included 50 international speakers, the executive director of TERINOV highlighted that the debate on issues such as climate change, destruction of natural habitats, demographic challenges and technological disruption "allowed us to think about some projects and even measures from a political point of view”.But “not only did the event gather the opinions of specialists in different areas, it also allowed for sharing good experiences on what has been done well in the Azores. Experts are already starting to look at us as an important player in certain areas," Pimentel highlighted.He also mentioned that the event’s last day was dedicated to the presentation of some projects led by the scientific and business ecosystem of TERINOV, with the participation of some schools from Praia da Vitoria. This allows TERINOV to "play an effective role in the promotion and communication of science and to show that it is possible to make a career in science in the Azores”.Technological and scientific development should be led by companiesThe executive director of TERINOV, Duarte Pimentel, argued that the technological and scientific development of Regions should be led by companies, highlighting the role that the Science and Technology Park has played in achieving this."TERINOV, as an institution, has 10 projects together with other companies. This is very important, because, in the future, companies will be the ones to lead the technological and scientific development of regions", he stressed.Of these projects, Duarte Pimentel highlighted the "Phitomyces alert system", which is being developed by TERINOV, in partnership with AIR Centre, and is led by Unicol. The project aims to develop a platform that allows to predict the emergence of Phitomyces chartarum fungus. This appears in pastures in the Azores and New Zealand, causing severe skin reactions and reducing the production of those cows that ingest it, which leads to very significant economic losses for agricultural production."Through prevention technology, such as remote monitoring of soils, we measure temperature and humidity predicting the risk of proliferation of the fungus. This way, whenever this risk increases, we issue an alert to the farmer advising the handling of cattle from plot A to B," he explained.Another project, which is funded by EEA Grants and led by Circular Blue, the company that owns the Nieta Atelier brand, seeks – through fishing gear waste and invasive algae – to realize the potential for creating new fibers for the textile industry and construction. "Another example of applied science that tries to solve some of society's problems," Pimentel highlighted.Currently, TERINOV hosts 72 entities, 65 of which are business projects – among start ups, SMEs and some projects that are still in the early stages of incubation – and seven scientific entities. "We have established ourselves as one of the main hubs of critical mass in the Azores, with 270 highly qualified professionals working daily in TERINOV, of which 20 hold a PhD," he said, stressing: "There are 11 nationalities in the park, which also shows that it is possible to attract and retain international talent in the Azores, provided that the ecosystems have this capacity and continuous stimulus, and provide career potential.”