The Physalia Physalis project is promoted by Mesosystem SME in partnership with the UAç, UM and Nofima. It aims to develop and commercialize a new range of innovative products based on collagen and other substances extracted from P. physalis biomass, with application in biomedical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The implementation of this project is crucial for Mesosystem, because it is an opportunity to introduce an innovative range of products in the cosmetic market and it will increase the company’s competitiveness in the global market. P. physalis will be a new raw material for Mesosystem and, as explained before, it constitutes a lower foot printer, which means a new competitive advantage and a new market positioning for this SME. Physalia Physalis project contributes to the main objective of this call (“Call#2 – Business Development, Innovation and SMEs”), since Mesosystem will develop, apply and commercialize innovative products, resulting from blue biotechnology process and an intensive cooperation between research partners, as well as from the deep scientific and technological knowledge created during the R&D activities. According to this, aligned with the projects eligible for funding under this call, the scope of P. Physalis project is to “Develop innovative processes for the Blue Growth sector” and “Apply innovative blue processes (new-to-the enterprise) including investments to increase production capacity”. The main area of intervention of the Physalia Physalis project is the blue biotechnology, since biological knowledge and techniques, namely cutting-edge molecular and genomic biological applications, will be applied to create innovative products for humans. According to Merquiol et al., since terrestrial habitats are generally overexploited, research in the last two decades has focused on marine organisms as they have been found to process or synthesize bioactive compounds that often have no terrestrial counterparts and which may, therefore, find new biotechnological applications in different fields. This is exactly the main goal of this project to use P. physalis for collagen extraction, making its application in the cosmetic industry more sustainable, and removing the jellyfish blooms that can be detrimental to coastal aquaculture through damage to caged fish, and to tourism by curtailing bathing activities. According to this, it is expected that the project can have a positive effect for the blue economy, facing the risks associated with the increase of P. physalis activity. On the other side, it will provide affordable raw material for Mesosystem company, which would create innovative products and increase their added value.

The Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation, as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), were created with the aim of consolidating and expanding synergies between the business fabric and the scientific and technological system in Portugal, contributing to increasing the competitiveness and resilience of the Portuguese economy, based on R&D, innovation and the diversification and specialization of the production structure.

It was in this context that the InsectERA Mobilizing Agenda was created, bringing together players from across the value chain who want to explore the potential of insects as a bioindustrial tool and bioindustrial solutions. The InsectERA Agenda covers the entire innovation cycle, from Research & Development to the manufacture and sale of products on the market, based on technologically advanced production methods.

During the Agenda’s implementation period, from 2023 to 2025, multiple projects and initiatives will be developed to foster the circular economy and leverage the development of new products, processes and services with high added value.

With the global ageing of the population and the consequent increase in average life expectancy, the demand for healthy ageing has become a widespread priority. The growing demand for healthier lifestyles, preventive interventions and greater attention to health is reflected in all sectors, including the cosmetics industry. Thus, the AgeTech project, resulting from the synergies and complementarities of the various consortium partners, has the main objective of researching and developing new cosmetic formulations based on new active compounds capable of directly intervening in the molecular mechanisms responsible for skin ageing, promoting its health at a cellular level and improving its physical appearance. The project represents an innovative approach by combining research into new pharmacological compounds and biocompounds derived from marine resources with anti-ageing properties, and their integration and nano-encapsulation for use in biotechnologically advanced cosmetic formulations aimed at offering products of high efficacy and quality.�

The main objective of the Shrimp4NanoCosmetics project is the research and development of new methodologies for extracting bioactive compounds from shrimp shell waste and incorporating them into innovative cosmetic formulations. The project focuses on the development and optimization of combined chemical/enzymatic/mechanical technologies for the extraction of bioactive compounds with high cosmetic potential from shrimp shell waste, and their application in the development of cosmetic formulations based on lipid nanoparticles and chitosan, with high potential and benefits for users. The aim is to create value-added products for the cosmetics market by valorizing waste by-products from the fish processing industry, developing and implementing innovative, more ecological and efficient techniques for extracting compounds such as astaxanthin, chitin/chitosan and their N-derived products. In order to ensure that the outlined objectives are achieved, an ambitious work plan has been structured that will take place over 36 months.