Today we hosted in our Technological Centre the first event of the ‘Horizon Series: We raise your innovation to Horizon Europe’, led by the European Projects Office of CETIM to deepen in the funding programmes of the European Commission.

On this occasion, biotechnology has been the protagonist and the day has had the collaboration of the Clúster Tecnolóxico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida de Galicia (Bioga), which has explained how they can help companies in the process of identification and submission of applications.

There was also a round table in which several success stories were presented, such as the LIFE REFISH project, explained by Paula Souto, R&D Manager at Jealsa Foods; NeoGiANT, which was commented by María Celeiro, Project Manager at the University of Santiago de Compostela, and BIORECOVER, which was discussed by Cristina Martínez, Head of ECO BIO Technologies at CETIM.

This morning, in CETIM Technological Centre we celebrated in our facilities the first day of ‘Horizon Series: We raise your innovation to Horizon Europe’, a series of events led by the European Projects Office of the Technological Centre and dedicated to different sectors to know the European funding opportunities. In this case, the session was dedicated to entities of the biotechnology sector and counted with the collaboration of the Clúster Tecnolóxico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida de Galicia (Bioga) to present their experience in this type of calls and how the Clúster can help companies in this process.

The event was opened by, Cristina Martínez, ECO BIO Technologies Area Manager at CETIM, who gave a brief summary of CETIM’s capabilities in this sector. This introduction was complemented with a visit to the laboratories of the Technology Centre, where all the attendees were able to see first-hand the research they are currently working on.

Afterwards, European Projects Office Manager at CETIM, Rebeca Varela, went into the Horizon Europe programme in depth, explaining how to submit winning proposals and the opportunities currently existing in the biotechnology sector.

In the second part of the event, Daniel Álvarez, Bioga’s International Development Manager, explained Bioga’s role in supporting the entities that form part of the biotech and life sciences ecosystem operating in Galicia in identifying calls for proposals and strategic partners and in providing support both as active participants in the proposals and as promoters.

To end the day, Pablo Frieiro, from the European Projects Office of CETIM, moderated a round table where several participants shared their experiences in Galician success stories in European programmes. One of them was the LIFE REFISH project, presented by Paula Souto, R&D Manager at Jealsa Foods. This initiative is developing the first demonstration biorefinery for fish and seafood raw material which, through the implementation of advanced technology, will allow the valorisation of these fish and seafood wastes into high added value products.

In addition, María Celeiro, Project Manager of the University of Santiago de Compostela presented the H2020 project NeoGiANT, which aims to improve the health and welfare of farm animals, through the revaluation of a by-product of the local agri-food industry, the bagasse of white Albariño grapes. To this end, a new set of products such as feed and treatments are being developed to reduce the use of antibiotics in cattle, pigs, poultry and aquaculture and to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Finally, Cristina Martínez, ECO BIO Technologies Area Manager at CETIM, explained the H2020 BIORECOVER success story, coordinated and led at our Technology Centre, to develop a new sustainable and safe process based on biotechnology to recover a wide range of critical raw materials of high economic value (such as magnesium and yttrium) from waste from secondary and primary sources.

This event is part of STRATEGO corresponding to the grant ‘Preparation and management of European projects and facilitating the attraction of international talent 2023’ funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/Agencia Estatal de Investigación /10.13039/501100011033