Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI)

Website: spieurope.eu

Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI) is a private consulting company founded in 1996 as an active centre of national and international networks connected to the SME and innovation sectors. Since its inception, SPI has become a leading promoter of linkages between private sector companies, science and technology institutions, and national and international public and private organisations. From its onset, SPI embraced the mission of managing projects that promote regional, national and international development, stimulate entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge management and encourage internationalisation and creation of strategic partnerships and business relationships. SPI has vast experience in EU project management including in over 25 FP7/CIP and now over 40 H2020 projects across a range of research themes including a strong international component such as ICT, smart energy, environment, food, biotechnology, health, international cooperation of science, technology and innovation, nanosciences, nanotechnologies, NMP and space. SPI has a wide-ranging experience in dissemination and communication activities and strong networks (e.g. from H2020 projects).

Universidade do Minho (UMinho-MUM)

Website: www.uminho.pt

The Universidade do Minho (UMinho) is a public, state-funded, academic institution in the Northwest of Portugal. It is the fifth largest university in Portugal, with about 18000 students, and courses in almost all disciplines. UMinho is a research University, engaged in the valorisation of the chain Knowledge-Research, Development and Innovation. Nowadays, in the Universidade do Minho, the training atmosphere is related to lifelong education, e-learning, and long-distance training which use new educational technologies and platforms. Micoteca da Universidade do Minho (MUM) is a filamentous fungi culture collection established in 1996 and hosted by the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB). CEB is a research centre integrated into the Portuguese Science and Technology System. It gathers the critical mass of expertise and resources necessary to respond to the industrial, economical and societal challenges related with the development and application of Biotechnology and Bioengineering. The research activities are focused on four interdisciplinary thrust areas covering the molecular, cellular and process scales, corresponding to four thematic strands: Industrial Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Environmental Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Health Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Food Biotechnology and Bioengineering.