On the the 5th and 6th of December, BlueBio Alliance hosted the first edition of the “Proof of Concept Made in Portugal” programme at PCI · Creative Science Park Aveiro Region, with the support of maze impact.

This event was included in the plan of activities being developed in the scope of BlueBio Alliance’s leadership of work package 10 – the promotion of startups and SMEs’ growth and internationalization – in the Blue Bioeconomy Pact.

This programme aims to promote the growth of the blue economy sector, accelerate knowledge transfer, and increase the visibility of companies and technological solutions (the “made in Portugal” brand). For that, we believe that it is necessary to fuel the innovation ecosystem and to connect a network of diverse stakeholders – including startups and corporates – working together to drive innovation.

For this event, previously selected startups using bioresources of marine origin integrated in technological-based solutions were paired with large companies TMG Group, COFISA, and ETSA Group, operating in the textiles, canning, and feed industry. This was a crucial moment to hear industry feedback and to gather information on market demand and critical pain points in the sector.

In a nutshell, we mapped nine industrial challenges and more than 50 startups; fifteen projects were selected to work in person for two days; finally, four projects were selected to move forward for a pilot in an industrial environment.

This programme is aligned with Blue Bioeconomy Pact mission – embracing the challenge of reindustrialising Portuguese industries through the integration of blue biotech solutions in value chains, leveraging the sustainable use of marine bioresources to increase added value through decarbonizing innovation.