LS4FUTURE Launches Innovation Webinar Series

Dear LS4FUTURE Community,

Innovation is central to LS4FUTURE’s mission — and now, researchers across all partner institutions can explore this theme in depth through a new four-part webinar series, developed in partnership with Chaperone.

💡 Learn to think like a funder, act like an innovator.

Whether it’s Horizon Europe, ERC, or EIC — innovation is a key to success. These webinars will help researchers integrate innovation into daily work, proposals, and career planning.

Running from May 15 to June 17, the Innovation Within and Beyond the Lab series will feature experienced trainers with backgrounds in biotech startups, digital health, pharma, academic entrepreneurship, and research commercialization. Each session will focus on a different dimension of innovation — from mindset and collaboration to IP, licensing, and spin-offs.

This training series is part of LS4FUTURE’s broader commitment to research translation, career development, and boosting international competitiveness.

Webinar 1	Innovation: Broad Concept and Examples
Date	15th of May, 2025 14h-15h30
Registration Link	here
Description	This webinar explores the broad concept of innovation, defining its types (incremental, disruptive, and radical) and distinguishing it from invention, especially in the field of life sciences (Biotech, MedTech, e-Health and TechBio). Various forms of innovation (product, process, business model, and organizational) will be explored through specific case studies with the scope of Deeptech development in Health through example covering for example CRISPR development, gene therapy and application in real life medical applications. Participants will be encouraged to identify opportunities to contribute to the development of innovations in their fields.
Trainer	Marc Chevalier Marc Chevalier (PhD) is facilitator of collaborative research (Public Private Partnerships) to develop innovations in Health. He was previously supporting scientists and medical doctors to develop their projects towards the creation of deeptech startups (especially in Institut Pasteur Paris, Imagine Institute of Genetic Diseases, IHU Lyric) prior to leading some early-stage startups. He is a scientist by training, holding a PhD in Neuroscience, and he is running programs to raise awareness about entrepreneurship, to develop the entrepreneurial mindset and to guide PhDs in anticipating their career development. He serves as a mentor for professionals in Innovation, startups CEOs and he contributes to the evaluation of startups in investment committees.

Webinar 2	Innovation as a Mindset and Applied in Daily Life
Date	28th of May, 2025 14h-15h30
Registration Link	here
Description	This webinar encourages participants to adopt an innovative mindset by fostering curiosity, adaptability, and resilience in their daily work. We’ll explore how a growth mindset drives innovation, the role of creativity in problem-solving, and techniques like brainstorming and lateral thinking. Overcoming barriers such as fear of failure and rigid thinking will be discussed, along with strategies to reframe challenges. Practical approaches to daily innovation will be highlighted. Finally, we’ll examine how habits shape innovation, challenging participants to apply small but impactful changes in their routines and academic work.
Trainer	Isabel Ramos Dr Isabel Ramos has an MSc in Bioengineering from the University of Porto and a PhD in Cardiovascular Imaging from King’s College London. Currently she is part of the London Digital Innovation Hub for Novo Nordisk where she works as an Open Innovation Consultant driving strategic Fast Track Innovation programs across EUCAN region (Europe & Canada). Previously, as Innovation Manager for Digital Health at Siemens Healthineers, she managed AI-related product development projects and collaborated closely with key universities and hospitals in London. She also worked in tech transfer offices, first at Imperial Innovations and then at The Francis Crick Institute, where she facilitated the commercialization of research discoveries through industry collaborations and IP protection. Passionate about digital health innovation she is dedicated to modernising healthcare by collaborating with dynamic and forward-thinking teams.

Webinar 3	Innovation at Work: Processes and People
Date	3rd of June, 2025 11h30-13h00
Registration Link	here
Description	This webinar explores how innovation thrives in organizations by examining key processes, leadership roles, and team dynamics. We’ll cover the stages of innovation, project management techniques, and the impact of collaboration. Case studies from tech and pharma will highlight industry-academia partnerships, and we’ll discuss fostering a culture that encourages risk-taking and rewards innovation. Participants will be challenged to identify and address barriers in their own workplaces.
Trainer	Inês Tenente Inês Tenente is a senior innovation consultant with a unique background bridging scientific research and real-world impact. With a PhD in Cancer Biology and an international career spanning global pharmaceutical strategy and health innovation, she has led multi-stakeholder partnerships across academia, startups, industry, and the public sector—not only in healthcare, but also in sustainability, energy transition, and other complex fields. She specializes in helping teams tackle real-world challenges through agile methodologies, design thinking, and purpose-driven strategy. Passionate about unlocking the human side of innovation, Inês brings deep experience in project management, open innovation, and collaborative leadership. Whether guiding biotech pilots, working with global corporations, leading consortia, or mentoring early-career researchers, her mission is to make innovation more inclusive, collaborative, and rooted in the real needs of people and communities.

Webinar 4	Innovation in Academia and Applied to Research (IP, Licensing, and Entrepreneurship/Spinoff)
Date	17th of June, 2025 14h-15h30
Registration Link	here
Description	This webinar explores how innovation in academic research can lead to commercial applications, intellectual property (IP), and entrepreneurship. We’ll discuss translating research into real-world solutions, the need for an entrepreneurial mindset, the role of IP in innovation, and strategies for protecting and commercializing discoveries. Topics include market identification, stakeholder mapping, licensing, spin-offs, and the path from research to startups, with insights into useful tools, access to funding, a snapshot of the existing support system such as incubators and accelerators, and how to promote industry partnerships. Successful case studies, including examples from Portugal, will highlight how academics can turn research into impactful ventures.
Trainer	David Siqueira Magboulé With a degree in Biology (University of Nottingham, UK, 2004), David has over 15 years experience across the full scope of the health sector. He started as a Pharma Sales Rep at ITF-Farma, then an internship as International Business Developer in Imbiosis, a Spanish Biotech, David later became Marketing Manager for Spain & Portugal for Medical Imaging company Carestream in 2008. In 2013 he moved to FUJIFILM’s ultrasound company, SonoSite. Since 2014, he’s been working as a strategy consultant for several industries. Late 2017, David founded LabToMarket to help startups, clinicians and researchers across Europe launch their products in the market, having helped over 200 startups globally so far. Between 2022 and 2023, David was also working with government-supported Startup Portugal, as Head of Growth & Acceleration for the national entrepreneurial ecosystem.

We look forward to your participation!

The Associate Laboratory LS4FUTURE is supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) through the funding LA/P/0087/2020 (DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0087/2020).

The Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE is supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) through the funding LA/P/0087/2020.