24 November 2023
NOVA Science & Innovation Day 2023: “The hallmark of NOVA’s Excellence in Research and Innovation”
In the 6th edition of the NOVA Science and Innovation Day, it became inevitable to say that this is an event that is attracting increasing interest. “It has become a hallmark of NOVA’s excellence in research and innovation,” stressed NOVA’s Rector, João Sàágua, in his welcome speech at the beginning of the event, which took place throughout the 21st of November – and which you can read in full here.
“There would be no science and innovation without scientists and entrepreneurs, so allow me to thank in particular our teachers, researchers and other talented professionals from all our schools for the incredible work they do every day”, stressed the Rector.
Isabel Rocha, Vice Rector in charge of Research and Innovation at NOVA, also emphasised that, in addition to publications, it is important to take into account their impact – and in this respect, “NOVA is 30 per cent above the international average”.
With a particular focus on interdisciplinarity and the impact of the excellent research carried out at NOVA, the programme began with a section dedicated to the University’s researchers who have stood out over the past year, both in terms of attracting funding and the impact of the research carried out, as well as the presentation and awarding of prizes to the winners of the Impact Narratives Challenge in Research, which can be read in the recently launched NOVA Science magazine.
The afternoon session was dedicated to innovation, with the presentation of a remarkable success story in the transfer of scientific knowledge to society – an extraordinary feat told by Holger Kissel, Senior Vice President of Scientific Relations at BioNTech, which has changed our lives forever.
BioNTech, a German biotechnology company founded in 2008 by two scientists of Turkish origin, became famous in 2020 with the development of the COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with Pfizer. The same vaccine that, in December 2020, will be the first to be authorised for emergency use after phase III trials.
There was also time for a round table with various representatives of the NOVA innovation ecosystem and its partners – at the same time as the Innovation Fair was taking place in the atrium of the presbytery, with the presence of various patented technologies, specialised services, CoLabs, Spi-offs and other companies from the university ecosystem.