Pesquisas Internas

For Maria João Monteiro, researcher at the CBQF, couples who are participating in the initiative are having the possibility of "trying the foods of the future firsthand and becoming a "trendsetter" in the field of healthy eating in Europe".

The investigation is taking place since last October (until this month) and includes filling out a brief online survey, the experience of making and consuming new food products at home, the use of a mobile application to record food consumption and, occasionally, participation in product tasting sessions on the campus of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in Porto, after working hours.

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We are what we eat, but we are even more. The impact of food on our daily lives goes far beyond the needs of our body. Probably, we all have thought at some point about the importance of food in our lives, but are we all aware of how food affects us, impacts us, transforms us, inspires us, entertains us? Well, the list of opportunities in Food is immense and it is on the multidisciplinary campus of Católica in Porto that the transversality of this theme becomes evident. Research, physical and mental health, gastrodiplomacy, orthorexia nervosa and interaction and art have Food as a common denominator. There is no doubt that, whether in Science, Law, Economics and Management, Psychology and Education, Arts or Nursing, Food occupies a very important place.

This commemorative day was celebrated on October 16, the date of creation of FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This body has worked to combat poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development and improving nutrition. This commemoration is an opportunity to reflect on what can be done to eliminate poverty and hunger in the world and on the impact that food has on everyone's lives.

What can I eat anyway?

Food is crucial in our life, because it guarantees our survival. But not only. It is also one of the greatest pleasures for many people and is also a form of cultural identity and even an expression of economic status.

But, let's go straight to the question everyone wants an answer to: after all, what can or should I eat? Can I eat this? Is that? And in what quantity? Elisabete Pinto, researcher at the CBQF, explains that the answer is always “it depends”, because it depends on who eats it, when they eat it, how much they eat it, how it was produced, how it was prepared, among others. factors. When the theme is Food, linearity cannot be invoked, because each case is different and because all foods are subject to different combinations, types of production and processing. But one thing is certain: “despite this complexity, it is undeniable that food greatly influences our health, as well as the health of our planet”.

Elisabete Pinto says that, CBQF “established a strong investigation in the area, with great proximity to the food industry, carrying out a very applied investigation.”

Driven by dynamism and the desire to always be at the forefront of knowledge, CBQF, over its 30 years of existence, invested in research with a true “farm to plate” approach: “the quality of soils for food production, the study of different varieties of plants to select the most productive and nutritious ones, the development of new foods, the valorization of by-products, the reformulation of existing foods , the optimization of food production processes, food safety, the study of the relationship between food/nutrients and health and the communication of these results in terms of Public Health, the study of the sustainability of the entire value chain, among others.”

INSURE – Innovation in Sustainability and Regeneration Hub turns one year old! A joint initiative of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto – through ESB and CBQF and the Católica Porto Business School -, with Planetiers New Generation, to which more than 40 national and international entities, from the most diverse sectors, have already joined. The most recent organizations to join this range are ANJE – Association of Young Entrepreneurs and Fundación Ashoka Emprendedores Sociales.

João Pinto, vice-president of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto and professor at the Católica Porto Business School, makes a very positive assessment: “it was a challenging year that made us more and more certain that we are treading a demanding path, but with a lot of sense. We realized this in contact with our national and international partners and in strengthening the partnership we have between Católica and Planetiers.” João Pinto also mentions “we complement each other and we realize that we have an important role to play in bringing Portugal to the forefront of the desired transformations at European level.”

We spoke with João Pinto, Manuela Pintado (director of the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry) and António Vasconcelos (co-leader of Planetiers New Generation) about the main milestones and challenges that lie ahead when leading an initiative such as the INSURE.hub, which is developing a set of activities aimed at achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Pact Strategy and the goals set for Europe 2030, helping to bring Portugal to the forefront of countries progressive within the EU.

On the 17th of November, the 2nd Conference of INSURE.hub took place at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto.

What were the main challenges you encountered in this first year?

In this first year of activity, one of the main challenges was to find an area of ​​convergence between the needs felt by companies in Sustainability and Innovation vs. approaches based on holistic thinking that result from the work we have been developing with international thought leaders. We had an active and very rich dialogue with the leaders of the companies, which reinforced the need to have business strategies in which the business operates within social and environmental limits; and the importance of having training for company staff with a systemic and multidisciplinary perspective, something we consider essential. As a result, we designed a Postgraduate Course in Innovation for Sustainable & Regenerative Business, scheduled for February 2023. Another challenge relates to the difficulties in financing sustainable and regenerative entrepreneurship.

The financial system still views cutting-edge scientific knowledge with some reservation, which it sees as “closed” in university laboratories and research and technology centres. Investors with more suitable characteristics for 'ventures' are still scarce in Portugal, despite all the evolution of entrepreneurship in recent years and the growing access to investors in international markets.

What are the big achievements?

We felt, firstly, an important reception for a dynamic to strengthen the approach of the business and associative sector to the academy, having as a backdrop the cooperation and the creation of mutual learning networks. There are more than 40 entities that joined the INSURE Hub throughout the year, having felt the importance of going beyond signing an agreement, and taking advantage of what the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (through Católica Porto Business School and ESB and CBQF) and Planetiers New Generation, have to give - not only from the point of view of skills and technical approaches, but also in supporting the establishment of an integrated vision of the business.

Additionally, we realize that our partners are fully aligned with the need for new approaches that help them navigate through enormous uncertainty and complexity, and within environmental constraints, moving from the take-make-waste philosophy to new environmental, social, and social paradigms. and economical.

Is the launch of a new executive course in the area of ​​Sustainability and Regeneration intended to respond to a market need? What are the big differentiating factors?

The new executive course aims to prepare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform current management models and evolve towards a clean and circular economy, in accordance with the objectives of the European Green Deal. It is important that such knowledge be transdisciplinary and holistic, understanding the system in which each business operates and including its entire value chain. This is, from the outset, a major differentiating factor compared to other types of offers, which is made possible by the mobilization of relevant national and international partners, who have been developing work of great impact in their areas. More than a traditional management course, we thus integrate, in a coherent and synergistic way, the knowledge of the Faculties of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa with the vast experience of international partners in the areas of innovation and sustainability, crossing sciences and management.

What are the big short and medium term priorities for INSURE.hub?

Next year we want to increase the relationship with existing partners, substantially expand the network of partners (by doing so, we will expand the learning of new challenges to be faced), and we want to work more diligently on the theme of literacy and the articulation between the business sector and the new generations. We know that Católica has great flexibility and multidisciplinarity, which we want to put fully at the service of INSURE.Hub. We are, in fact, in a new era of the economy of societies, which integrate economic and business development with the development of people and the education of the new generations. And this is the path that the INSURE Hub will increasingly develop.

Anabela Veiga, PhD student and member of the Biomaterials and Biomedical technology lab at CBQF, was awarded with a Fulbright grant, which will allow her to develop part of her research in the United States of America, from February to August 2023. It will be on the other side of the Atlantic that she will continue to develop her work on the field of tissue regeneration and from her she wished to bring several competencies and knowledge that can also contribute to the growth of her research team at CBQF: “Here, we fight to do better and continuously learn”.

Q: What does being awarded with a Fulbright grant means to you?

Anabela Veiga (AV): It is an opportunity that will allow me to integrate a prestigious and global community that stands for the same principles I do: gender equality, cooperation and solidarity, development of innovative projects meaningful for the community. Besides that, I will develop my work using state of the art technologies (co-culture of 3D materials based in silk natural protein, using bioreactors, aiming at obtaining a totally functional structure – vascular and neuronal nets) and I will be monitored by field experts, which will highly enrich my project and my knowhow.

Q: What do you expect from this experience in the United States?

AV: I hope to acquire a lot of knowledge in cell culture, co-culture and the use of bioreactors, as well as quality assurance measures, management and work organization. I wish to bring back these competencies and knowhow to CBQF so that all the research team can benefit from them. I will do as my other colleagues when they have the opportunity to integrate another team and research laboratory. We all fight to do better and continuously learn.

Q: What is the greatest challenge you see ahead?

AV: Probably the cultural integration. In Europe, we find people with a certain culture, lifestyle and behavior similar to those found here in Portugal. During the period I was in Madrid, where I had the opportunity to work for more than half a year with an ESB Erasmus+ grant, I think I had the best possible experience, since the whole team was willing to help me, brainstorm and contribute to my work. I am aware that in the USA, people may be more focused on their own tasks and, eventually, will set deadlines that might add more pressure and stress. In any case, it is only a matter of adaptation and resilience.

Q: What is the focus of your research project?

AV: My PhD in Biotechnology is being developed under the supervision of Ana Leite Oliveira and the theme is “Biofabrication of an innovative silk-based 3D construct as a new strategy for engineering skin tissue”. My project has the collaboration of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, from Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros, in Madrid, and the Trufs University, more specifically, the Department of Biomedical Engineering from the Tissue Engineering Resource Center – TERC, in the USA, to where I am going in the beginning of the next year with the support of the Fulbright grant.

Q: Why did you choose to study here?

AV: I wanted to work in the field of biomaterials and the Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) has a multidisciplinary team, whose focus is to develop sustainable materials with high value for the industry. Besides that, the Biobased and Biomedical Products group has the knowhow in silk proteins, in developing and optimization of materials for skin regeneration and a fully equipped cell culture laboratory. I have always keep in touch with Ana Leite Oliveira, who has always supported me, believed in my potential and gave me the freedom and assistance to be creative and innovative in my work.

Q: What motivates you?

AV: I see myself as someone naturally motivated to work and learn. I like to challenge myself, as it is a way to grow, both professionally and personally. I am able to adapt myself to different work environments, with different people, and I enjoy the team work as well as helping my colleagues.