This share prices have a 15 minute delay and are shown in the local time of the market in which the quote is displayed.
The winners, in the fields of health and conservation, will each receive €30,000.
Lisbon, 22 September 2025.
The three winning projects of the 1st Ignition Grants competition for Interdisciplinary Research at NOVA, supported by the Santander Portugal Foundation, have been announced. They are: NOVACryoSkin, which proposes a new paradigm in the cryopreservation of biological materials; Toy Story, which will investigate tinplate toys produced in Portugal between 1920 and 1960; and INSUBIO, which aims to develop an innovative insulin biosensor for monitoring diabetes.
Each of the projects will receive €30,000 in funding. In the first edition of the competition, applications were open to all areas of knowledge, with the aim of promoting new collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific ideas, in view of solving complex scientific and social challenges.
According to Inês Rocha de Gouveia, chair of the Santander Portugal Foundation, "research must result from collaboration between academia and the business sector and from the intersection of different areas of knowledge." The 1st Ignition Grants reflect exactly that. The three winning projects, each with different themes, are equally relevant in their contribution to scientific advancement and the development of society."
In the words of Isabel Rocha, vice-rector of NOVA and head of research and innovation, "it is extremely important for NOVA to promote interdisciplinary projects bringing together researchers from various discipline, and we thank Santander for making this initiative possible. It is well known that today's complex problems require interdisciplinary approaches, so this initiative also reinforces NOVA's commitment to science that impacts society."
The winning projects:
NOVACryoSkin
- Area: Bioengineering
- Goal: Develop a new approach to preserving reconstructed human epidermis with natural and less toxic cryoprotectants.
- Impact: Reduced toxicity, less need for extreme temperatures and a smaller ecological footprint.
- Team: Filipe Oliveira – (principal investigator, NOVA FCT), Duarte Barral (co-principal investigator, NMS), Ana Rita Duarte (NOVA FCT), Luís Cabaço and Marta Cerejo (NMS).
Toy Story
- Area: Heritage
- Goal: Study tinplate toys produced in Portugal between 1920 and 1960 as cultural artefacts.
- Impact: Heritage appreciation, sustainable practices and creativity.
- Team: Isabel Tissot (principal investigator, NOVA FCT), Maria Fernanda Rollo (co-principal investigator, NOVA FCSH), Marta Manso, Paula Urze and Tiago Silva (NOVA FCT).
INSUBIO
- Area: Bioengineering
- Goal: Create an innovative insulin biosensor for personalised diabetes monitoring.
- Impact: More democratic access to health, sustainability and technological innovation.
- Team: Tomás Pinheiro (principal investigator, NOVA FCT), Tatiana Burrinha (co-principal investigator, NMS), Elvira Fortunato (NOVA FCT) and Paula Macedo (NMS).
With this initiative, the Santander Portugal Foundation and NOVA University Lisbon reinforce their commitment to promoting collaborative and interdisciplinary science, creating the conditions for new ideas to flourish and contribute to scientific progress.
READ MORE NEWS FROM SANTANDER PORTUGAL IN ITS PRESS ROOM