Researcher Marcos Alves, from CPQBA-Unicamp, participates in the creation of a Biotechnology Center at the Castelo Branco Polytechnic Institute, in Portugal
International collaboration between university professors and researchers is a frequent activity. It is common to carry out research and write scientific articles together. It is also common to exchange postgraduate students guided by the leaders of the groups involved. Researcher Marcos Nopper Alves, from the Agrotechnology Division of the Multidisciplinary Center for Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Research (CPQBA) at Unicamp, was part of a project that included all these dimensions, but went further. He contributed decisively to the installation of the Beira Interior Plant Biotechnology Center (CBPBI) at the Castelo Branco Polytechnic Institute, in Portugal.
CBPBI, a kind of CPQBA with a Portuguese accent, has been in operation for four years and has presented very promising scientific production, according to Alves, who has a doctorate in Plant Biology. There, Portuguese researchers have mainly investigated fruit plants, with the aim of obtaining more productive and resistant varieties. “Although the unit is very new, it is already possible to see that the work should bring important results from both a scientific and economic point of view. One of the Center's objectives is to add value to the production of these plants. This can be done, for example, through the extraction of essential oils that are of interest to the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries,” he explains.
In addition to advancing research at the bench level, other important activities are underway, according to Alves. A strategic action adopted by CBPBI was the installation of an incubator to house startups. These high-tech companies should help make the discoveries made by the Center applicable. Another important fact is that the relationship between CPQBA and CBPBI should gain shape. The two units are in agreement to facilitate the mobility of students, researchers and teachers, in order to further internationalize their research and, thus, make knowledge advance without the limits of borders.
In the two years he spent in Portugal helping to create the CBPBI, Alves says he had excellent experiences in the professional and personal field. “Working with Portuguese colleagues on such a large-scale project was very rewarding. We have established a very positive cooperative environment. The involvement of scientists and local authorities was fundamental to the success of our endeavor. From a personal point of view, I also only made gains. I had the opportunity to take my family to stay with me. Furthermore, I was able to experience the Portuguese way of life, which obviously included hospitality, gastronomy and oenology”, he reports.
History
The creation of the CBPBI followed a long and tortuous journey and involved the collaboration of several actors, as Alves makes a point of observing. According to him, the first contacts between the Brazilian and Portuguese representations took place between 2007 and 2008. At that time, an agreement was signed for the development of research into plants with energy potential. The initiative, however, did not prosper. Between 2008 and 2009, Alves made his first trip to Portugal, with the purpose of facilitating a project for the production of Jatropha, a plant also with energy potential, via plant tissue culture. Due to the difficulties of developing the species in vitro, the initiative was not continued.
Between 2010 and 2011, the Municipal Council of Fundão, a Portuguese city located in the Castelo Branco District, provided an area of 100 ha for the installation of a biofactory, with the purpose of promoting the extensive production of plants for reforestation and biomass production. , to meet the needs of material for burning in thermoelectric plants in the region. “At that moment, they asked me to develop a project that involved research areas in chemistry, microbiology and pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, the idea did not move forward due to a lack of interest from private investors.”
Finally, in 2013 Alves was invited to visit the Castelo Branco Polytechnic Institute in order to create a biotechnology center that could be the embryo of a future biofactory. The negotiations gave rise to a new agreement involving Unicamp, CPQBA and the Polytechnic Institute with the aim of creating the CBPBI. “The Polytechnic Institute gave us a space that was previously occupied by its Arts Department. We adapt it to our needs. Our mission was focused on two objectives: developing research in the area of biodiversity [management, cultivation, production and conservation] and bioprospecting [phytochemistry, microbiology and pharmacology]”.
The project obtained funding of around 3 million euros from the Portuguese Scientific and Technological Infrastructure Support System. The resources were applied to the physical renovation of the building and the acquisition of field and laboratory equipment. In 2015, the unit was opened. “It was quite a challenge, but the objective was achieved. Currently, the CBPBI is fully operational and the first research results are emerging. So much so that we have already had the opportunity to publish articles in high-impact scientific journals. In the future, new projects will emerge between CPQBA and CBPBI. All this thanks to the commitment mainly of Unicamp, the Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco and the president of the Fundão City Council, a role that is equivalent to that of mayor in Brazil, Paulo Alexandre Bernardo Fernandes, who spared no effort to make the project viable”, records Alves . According to him, the Fundão Chamber can be a gateway for Brazilian startups that want to enter the European market.
