4/12/2025

The LS4FUTURE Academia & Industry Innovation Exchange took place on 27 November 2025 at LEAP Amoreiras, bringing together researchers from the LS4FUTURE Associate Laboratory and representatives from pharmaceutical, biotech, innovation agencies, and research support organizations. The event succeeded in fostering open dialogue, knowledge sharing, and new opportunities for collaboration in health and sustainability-related research and innovation.

Part of the National Science & Technology Week 2025

This initiative was part of the national Semana da Ciência e da Tecnologia 2025, promoted by Ciência Viva, highlighting the impact of research in Portugal and fostering connections between science, industry, and society. Alongside LS4FUTURE researchers, 10 external participants from institutions like NOVA FCT, the Champalimaud Foundation, GIMM, Universidade de Lisboa and The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) joined, reflecting growing interest in cross-institutional academia–industry collaboration.

Inspiring Opening Session with Multidisciplinary Perspectives

After a warm opening by LS4FUTURE Coordinator Inês Cardoso-Pereira and the Rector of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Paulo Pereira, the event started with a high-level session featuring four distinguished speakers, each offering strategic insights on how to accelerate impactful partnerships between academia and industry:

• Balça Mardin, Head of Target Discovery and Research at Merck KGaA, shared her journey from academia to industry and highlighted the role of translational research in oncology target discovery.
• Silvia Garcia, Board Member at ANI, described Portugal’s national strategy for fostering innovation and the pivotal role of collaborative R&D.
• Anabela Isidro, National Contact Point and Delegate for Health in Horizon Europe, presented European-level opportunities for strengthening academia–industry engagement.
• Carina Santos, Strategic Alliance Executive at Cancer Research Horizons, showcased successful models of academic–industry alliances and the impact of long-term, trust-based partnerships.

 

Case Studies: Real Examples of Translation and Innovation

During the morning, participants also had the opportunity to explore case studies presented by Professor Isabel Rocha (Vice-Rector at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa), Miguel Toscano (Senior Scientific Manager at Novo Nordisk Foundation) and Laura Monteiro (Senior R&D Project Manager at Algae for Future – A4F), highlighting concrete examples of translational science, technology development, and collaborative initiatives with external partners.
These short presentations provided valuable insight into how scientific excellence within the academic research community is already generating impact and laid the groundwork for new ideas for collaboration with industry.

 

AMA Session: Real Conversations on Careers and Collaboration

The day continued with a dynamic Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, where participants rotated through four themed tables: Entrepreneurship (Featuring Joana Moscoso – Native Scientists, David Magboulé – LabToMarket, and Filipe Rollo – BGI Sustainable Ventures) Project Management (Featuring Carolina Moreira – INOVA+, and Rita Vilaça – LAQV/REQUIMTE), Pharma & Biotech (Featuring Marie Bordone – Zambon, and Ricardo Celestino – AstraZeneca), and Consulting (Featuring Inês Tenente, and Rui Sousa –  Innovayt A/S). Experts from different sectors offered insights into career pathways, skills development, and the realities of working across research and industry environments.

Roundtable: Building a Stronger Bridge Between Academia and Industry

In parallel with the AMA Session, a roundtable brought together researchers, industry representatives, and innovation specialists (José Antão – ANI, Raquel Sá Leão – ITQB NOVA, Marta Cerejo – NMS InnoValue, Vânia Batalha – BIAL and Vera Moura – Basinnov Life Sciences), to discuss how LS4FUTURE can take a more proactive role in enabling collaboration. Despite the ambitious scope of the discussion for a 90-minute session, the group succeeded in identifying several strategic directions:

• LS4FUTURE as a central entry point for industry, helping companies understand whom to contact first and how to navigate the expertise within the Associate Laboratory.
• The organization of targeted matching events, aligned with specific scientific or technological interests of industry partners.
• The need to involve advocates and investors across the innovation ecosystem in future initiatives.
• The potential for LS4FUTURE to support industrial PhD training, acting as a structured framework for placements and co-supervisions.

These insights will be carefully considered by the LS4FUTURE Coordination Office as part of the next Associate Laboratory proposal, ensuring the development of a clear roadmap for strengthening collaboration and for integrating innovation teams and research management expertise across partner institutes.

A Step Forward for an Integrated Innovation Ecosystem

The strong engagement from both researchers and industry guests underscored the growing commitment to building a more connected and innovation-driven health and sustainability research ecosystem in Portugal.

LS4FUTURE extends its sincere thanks to all speakers, experts, participants, and operational teams who contributed to the success of this event.