Portugal has a thriving network of dedicated marine bio-based researchers developing innovative projects. However, the startup community in this sector is still limited.
Through Blue Bio Value Ideation, Oceano Azul Foundation and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation seek to boost innovative sustainable blue bioeconomy projects. The programme aims to bridge the gap between academia and the market by providing participants with the tools, network, and seed-funding needed to transform innovative R&D into new sustainable circular new business solutions.
How it works?
The programme works by connecting science and enterpreneurship ocean lovers.
By creating multidisciplinary teams, the teams are better equipped to tackle the challenges of technology transfer and capacitated to transform blue biotechnology research into viable market applications. By this mean, the programme looks to act as the fertile ground for new market actors to spawn.
In 2022, Ideations will took place in partnership with Porto Business School (18th – 20th November) and NOVA School of Business and Economics (25th – 27th November), powered by BGI – Building Global Innovators and in collaboration with Bluebio Alliance.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for passionate ocean entrepreneurs to register as Business Mentors, and for innovators to submit a scientific blue bioeconomy R&D Project.
Business Mentors may be students or professionals with a passion for science-based innovation and a background in Management or related fields.
The R&D Projects may be submitted by students, researchers and/or professionals with a background in STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or related areas. Registrations can be submitted individually or as a team, and the R&D Project can be under development or yet to be developed.
Learn more about the Roles here

Blue Bio Value Ideation aims to foster the creation of ideas for ocean-based solutions that can answer the following challenges:

Feeding a growing population & ensuring sustainable food systems

Improving health & well-being

Mitigation and adaptation to climate change

Addressing resource scarcity & preserving and restoring natural ecosystems and biodiversity

Empowering circular bioeconomy growth

Reducing plastic production & pollution

What to expect?
A 3-day session of Ideation (each session – one in Lisbon and one in Porto):
- Online preparation workshop, prior to in-person event.
- 2-Day in-person session, including
- Intensive ideation workshops including sketching, prototyping, brainstorming, brainwriting, worst possible idea.
- Hacking workshops: idea and concept engineering, value engineering product and process.
- Final pitch competition
The award
The winning team of each session was awarded by Oceano Azul Foundation and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Blue Bio Value Ideation Award. A seed-funding prize was awarded to the best team to ignite the creation of a business solution, initiate, or improve a pilot, and improve project overall.
Impact
We believe it is possible to move towards a new development model, capable of decoupling economic growth from natural resources depletion. The blue bioeconomy is essential in responding to this challenge: it promotes ocean conservation whilst generating wealth and jobs through sustainable solutions based on the use of marine bio-resources.
The ideas generated through Blue Bio Value Ideation must revolve around the sustainable use, and valuation, of marine bioresources with impact in improving human well-being (pharmaceutical, cosmetics, nutraceuticals), developing innovative food & feed alternatives, creating new industrial applications (biomaterials, biofuels, etc.) and, overall, delivering environmental decarbonizing solutions.
Winners 2022
The winning team of each session was awarded by Oceano Azul Foundation and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Blue Bio Value Ideation Award. A seed-funding prize was awarded to the best team to ignite the creation of a business solution, initiate, or improve a pilot, and improve project overall.
In 2022, the Blue Bio Value Ideation programme counted with 22 teams, bringing together more than 70 researchers and entrepreneurs from all over Portugal, but also from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In the session hosted in partnership with Porto Business School, the MiADrugTox project, developed by a team from Instituto Politécnico da Guarda, stood out as the winner. The project aims to apply microalgae biomass as an alternative strategy to inhibit the absorption of drugs associated to drug intoxication.
CELLAQUA4ALL was the winning project at NOVA School of Business and Economics developed by a team from the Laboratório Colaborativo em Aquacultura Sustentável e Inteligente (S2AQUAcoLAB) and the Center for Marine Sciences of Algarve (CCMAR). The project aims at improving the provision of appropriate fish cell lines, delivering a serum-free medium for the mass production of cells in bioreactors.
Blue Bio Value Acceleration 2022
Team

Filipa Saldanha
LinkedIn
Sofia Barbeiro
LinkedIn
Alexandre Santos

Gonçalo Costa
LinkedIn
Elisabete da Costa
LinkedIn
João Rito
LinkedIn
Mariana Paupério
LinkedIn
Sónia Cruz
LinkedIn
Soraia Caetano
LinkedIn
Gonçalo Amorim
LinkedIn
Eduarda Monteiro
LinkedIn
Sami Haraketi
LinkedIn
Margarida Lucas dos Santos
LinkedIn
Maria Moreira Feio
LinkedInFAQs
a) Business Mentor: Individual with background education and/or professional experience in the areas of Management, Economics, Entrepreneurship, or related disciplines;
b) R&D Project: Team or Individual with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics) background or related, with a blue bioeconomy R&D project under development or to be developed. These are eminently technical individuals, which aim to start or further develop a blue biotechnology innovation with potential applications to the market.
The participants of this program ought to register in the respective registration form. Afterwards, the organizing committee of Blue Bio Value Ideation 2022 will reach out in order to schedule an interview call to validate registration.
You do not need to be Portuguese or to be studying in Portugal, but you will need to be physically present in one of the Ideation Sessions, either in Lisbon or Porto. Transport and accommodation costs are not covered.
The program takes place over three days: an online onboarding preparatory session, prior to the session, which takes place in a full weekend.
For registrants in the Porto session: the Blue Bio Value Ideation 2022 online session will be held on the 18th of November afternoon, and the in-person sessions will take place in Porto Business School on the weekend of 19th and 20th of November.
For registrants in the Lisbon session: the Blue Bio Value Ideation 2022 online session will be held on the 25h of November afternoon, and the in-person sessions will take place in Porto Business School on the weekend of 26th and 27th of November.
No. The sessions in Lisbon and Porto are independent. Participants are expected to choose whether to participate in one or the other, according to their personal preference.
A multidisciplinary environment with participants mainly from the areas of natural sciences, engineering, technologies and entrepreneurship areas such as management. The sessions will be guided by a team from BGI – the Blue Bio Value program manager for Ideation – and include a set of exercises aimed at stimulating the creation of business ideas.
These ideas can be ignited either from existing knowledge and developed research dedicated to marine bio-resources, or have a positive impact on them. BLUEBIO ALLIANCE, the Scientific Coordinator, will assist throughout the process.
No. You will share the information that you classify as essential for the business mentor to help you to successfully transfer your knowledge and research into the market/industry and for the final jury to evaluate the final pitches and select the winner(s). More details concerning the data treatment can be found in the Rules and Regulation.
- Eagerness to gain or develop experience in a startup or a high-tech impactful venture;
- Motivation to work in the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the blue economy;
- Availability to guide and mentor the team members during and after the ideation session;
- Previous related academic professional experience (preferably).
Yes. Alongside with this requisite, the good patrices to be a business mentor include not having conflict of interests, not being driven by personal gains alone, have time to participate and, especially for the winning teams, be committed to spending the time and effort to help build a successful venture.
No. The “match” between your business mentor profile and interests, and the needs of the participating R&D projects team will be done by BGI. However, you can accept or not to work with the STEM team designated to you.
All the teams will have to perform a Final Pitch to the Jury of the Blue Bio Value Ideation 2022. The Jury will take into consideration the following criteria:
- Business model potential;
- Team composition and performance;
- Technology proposed;
- Performance throughout the Ideation session;
- Attendance and engagement;
- Tasks completed;
- Performance at the final pitch.
In each Ideation session:
The 5.000€ award can be spent through the Blue Demo Network, a network of services that promotes and gives the team access to a set of portuguese services focused on the blue bioeconomy (i.e. laboratories, legal, etc.).
The Winners will also be awarded with 5 mentorship sessions provided by the BLUEBIO ALLIANCE and BGI to assist the business model development.
Moreover, the winning team will have facilitated access to the Blue Bio Value Acceleration* in 2023.