Research&Development business projects in the Azores represent 2 million-Euro investment
The Regional Director for Science and Technology stated on São Miguel that 10 Research&Development projects in business context have already been approved and currently under implementation.
"It is expected that the financing line for R&D projects in business context will correspond to an overall ERDF investment of 1.73 million Euros, to which two projects amounting to 270 thousand Euros under analysis will be added. It will generate funding of about two million Euros," stressed Bruno Pacheco.
The Regional Director spoke on the sidelines of a visit to "Khalili Ginger Fibres and Promotion of Endogenous Products," a project under development in a laboratory set up in the premises of S. Miguel Agricultural Association- União Agrícola Cooperative in Santana, municipality of Ribeira Grande.
"All projects benefited from the direct involvement of entities belonging to the Azores Scientific and Technological System. They have contributed to the creation of 34 jobs, of which 23 are highly qualified," added the government official.
According to Bruno Pacheco, "this is the best way of transferring knowledge between research centres and companies," adding that this is also "a way of guiding knowledge to leverage certain products."
In the case of "Khalili Ginger Fibres and Promotion of Endogenous Products," a project representing an investment of 200 thousand Euros, the Regional Director stated that "it promotes the creation of a new economic activity based on the exploitation of a natural resource that is an invasive plant species."
The project aims to develop disposable articles and daily use packaging from the processing of biomass from khalili ginger leaves and stalks.
As part of a comprehensive set of projects carried out by a research group from the University of the Azores, this project is being developed in close collaboration with business entities such as Fibrenamics and 1001 Serviços and non-business entities such as União Agrícola Cooperative from S. Miguel.
"This is a good example of a strategy defined towards the creation of a specific product, fibres, which has structured a series of projects with different levels of scientific and technological maturity. It has also contributed to the creation of conditions for the emergence of qualified jobs," stated the government official.
This project has already boosted the emergence of three new research projects applying for different financial support mechanisms, namely the 1.1 and 1.2 funding lines under the Azores 2020 Operational Programme, and the European "M-ERA" consortium; the latter is based on the ERA-NET typology.
According to Bruno Pacheco, the Regional Government "continues to invest in the creation of a true innovation system based on knowledge sharing and on the knowledge of companies and research centres, which will be increasingly focused on value generation."
"We will continue to invest in these measures aimed at improving the coordination between the parties involved and facilitating the context of investment in research and development, such as the case of the ID Vouchers," said Bruno Pacheco.
"We have a strong expectation that we are in the face of an emergency dynamics that will grow in the coming years. It is expected that the Azores will host other development teams, thus accelerating the construction of the regional innovation system," said the Regional Director.