Porto is at the forefront of innovation in biotechnology in Europe

The School of Biotechnology of Portuguese Catholic University in Porto will be given financial support of 50 million euros to develop research in the field of oil alternative sources of energy.

The protocol signed by Prime Minister, António Costa at the Stanford Hoover Institution, in San Francisco, California, also involves AICEP, the Portuguese agency for investment and foreign trade and the American multinational corporation Amyris, in consortium with the School of Biotechnology.

This is the most important financial support ever provided to research in Portugal, to project both the academia and the market.

The School of Biotechnology of Portuguese Catholic University in Porto, jointly with Amyris, are already launching an Open Call for research teams to meet the prevailing need for combined service provision and multiple research.

The Open Call reads :"The first phase of the project, running until 31/12/2022, has as its main objectives: Economic valorisation of coproducts/residues from fermentative processes; Building software products intended to facilitate and improve the design process; Improvement of fermentation processes to increase biomolecules production efficiency; Creation of an innovative scientific approach to accelerate the discovery of disruptive applications of new biomolecules that could be commercialized in a myriad of market applications as the nutraceutical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, human and animal nutrition, agrochemical, and materials industries.

The Alchemy Project is also co-financed by Portugal 2020 and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).