S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: UPWIND
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
UWPIND is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/sjkZKkXcJwM
"Since our team has reached a key stage or product development and we are planning to spinout into a startup, the S3E Start program has been highly beneficial for us, especially to learn how to articulate our value proposition for potential customers." Luís Tiago.
This project is led by researchers from Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, including: Fernando A C C Fontes, Luís Tiago P., Manuel Matos Fernandes, Sérgio Vinha, Gabriel M. Fernandes and Rui da Costa. Their the team behind ZEPHYRUS, an Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) device that generates clean energy using a tethered kite and a generator on the ground. Thanks to its affordability and deployability, this system has the potential to help remote communities transition into cleaner systems of electricity production, contributing to lessen the use of fuel-based generators.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: OncoMets
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
OncoMets is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/G2ERiroQra4
“As a translational research group, we realised that we didn't have the tools to transform our knowledge into a product that could be made available for the clinical community and for the patients. We found the S3E Start program and thought it had the perfect combination of elements we needed to bring our solution to the market." — Ana Ribeiro
This project is led by researchers from i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, including: Ana Ribeiro, Joana Paredes, Rita Carvalho, Ines Conde, Bruno Freitas and Barbara Macedo. They're the team behind ONCOSECRET, an in vitro diagnostic tool for breast cancer monitoring, driven by a groundbreaking circulating biomarker discovery platform that will enable early detection and reduce mortality rates, thus empowering oncologists to combat breast cancer effectively.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: THYMI
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
THYMI is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/oTgFbbL7Nfo?feature=shared
“As scientists, we lacked a lot of the knowledge required to transition an idea from a research setting into a more entrepreneurial setting, and we knew the S3E Start program would help us with everything we needed to turn our project into a viable business." — Pedro Ferreirinha
This project is pioneered by researchers Rute Pinto and Pedro Ferreirinha from i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health. They've created an innovative solution that offers, for the first time, the possibility to produce in laboratory patient-specific T cells that can be used to supplement patient immunity with no risk of transplanted cell rejection or side-effects.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: OncoMagnetoSweep
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
OncoMagnetoSweep is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/5gF6SJ_s994?feature=shared
“We enrolled in S3E Start because we wanted to check if our our technology had the potential to be commercialized. Thanks to this program and the expert support we've received from our mentor, we've learned how to turn our idea into a startup and how to introduce it to a wide network of investors." — Marta Laranjeira
This project is pioneered by researchers from i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health and CBQF - Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry, including: Marta Laranjeira, Diana R. Fonseca, Luísa Fialho and Natacha Rosa. This team have developed a magnetic extracorporeal device able to remove circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood to improve metastatic cancer treatment and prevent early metastasis formation for high-risk patients, significantly enhancing prognosis and survival rates.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: NemAway
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
NemAway is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/KN6NdopD7KM?feature=shared
“We decided to join S3E Start because we needed a push in our transfer of knowledge from academia to industry. It's been a very important experience for us and we've learned a lot from this program — from how to communicate to investors to how to build a business project from scratch." — Cláudia Vicente
This project is pioneered by researchers from University of Évora, including: Cláudia Vicente, Margarida Espada, Pedro Barbosa and Madalena Mendonça. With the aim of developing bio-based and sustainable solutions to combat plant-parasitic nematodes, they've created NemAway, a fast and efficient action bionematicide that helps to protect crops and foster environmentally-friendly practices in agriculture.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: GENESIS
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
GENESIS is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/TihCZ_82m8I?feature=shared
“It was wonderful to participate in this program! This experience has helped us to jump from the research stage into starting a company." — Diogo Silva
This project is pioneered by researchers the Faculty of Engineering at University of Porto (FEUP) in collaboration INEGI, including: Alexandra Rodrigues Pinto, Diogo Silva, Helder Xavier Nunes and Lucas Marcon. Their main focus is to help the maritime sector reduce their dependency on oil-based fuel engines and in turn adopt greener and environmentally-friendly practices thanks to GENESIS, a safe plug-and-play off-grid production system that assures clean, pure hydrogen and borate with high value.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: BreastScreening-AI
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
BreastScreening-AI is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/VppWuptBg0I?feature=shared
“We joined S3E Start to help us prepare for the EIC Accelerator and, as we expected, it has been a great opportunity for us to grow. We have developed our project plan to bring our solution into the market, and we now also feel ready to start pitching for funding." — Francisco Maria Calisto
This project is pioneered by researchers from University of Lisbon's Instituto Superior Técnico and University of Coimbra, and it focuses on developing advanced AI-driven diagnostic tools that integrate mammography, ultrasound, and MRI data to enhance breast cancer detection accuracy, and in turn help radiologists reducing diagnostic times and minimizing false positives and negative. The full BreastScreening-AI team includes: Francisco Maria Calisto, Carlos Santiago and André Fadiga.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start 2024 | Meet the research team: Blood2Power
At this year's S3E Start Open Day, celebrated at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre in Lisbon, we interviewed the participating research teams to find out more about their projects and how they’re planning to implement the knowledge they’ve gained through our program to take their innovation from the lab to the the market.
Blood2Power is one of the 14 teams that was selected to join the 2024 edition of S3E Start, our program of support for deep tech research and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe, coordinated by our South3E partner HiSeedTech. Watch below the full interview to hear all about their work and their experience on Start!
https://youtu.be/SEaZOKtOs44?feature=shared
“This kind of program is very important for researchers because we get to learn a lot of new things beyond our scientific knowledge; our technology will only be fruitful if it goes to the patient, and thanks to S3E Start we are now closer to achieving that” — Andreia Pereira.
This project is pioneered by researchers from i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, and it revolves around the development of a system that harnesses electrical energy from the movement of blood and other body fluids to power medical devices. The full Blood2Power team includes: Inês Gonçalves, Andreia Trindade Pereira, Daniela Sousa, Herbert Middleton and Salomé Luís.
Want to meet the rest of the teams? Access the full playlist featuring interviews with other participating teams.
If you missed the S3E Start Open Day, you can watch the full livestream recording with all the teams' pitches or our event recap for the top highlights.
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S3E Start showcases the innovative deep tech projects from Southern Europe in a magnificent Open Day in Lisbon
On June 18th, the S3E team celebrated a hybrid Open Day in Lisbon to showcase the , the program that provides expert support to research teams and technology transfer officers in Southern Europe.
Watch the summary video!
https://youtu.be/AvonR5QPkxA
The S3E Start Open Day took place at the iconic BBVA Tivoli Theatre with approximately 60 people attending in person. The full 3-hour event was also livestreamed, reaching over 230 participants from across the European deep tech ecosystem who registered to join remotely. The audience included member companies from HiSeedTech (the S3E team who facilitated the event), international investors, business angels, innovation hubs, higher education representatives, corporates, researchers and deep tech enthusiasts.
The event kicked-off with a warm welcome from Mario Freire, President of the Board of HiSeedTech, which is the coordinator of the S3E – Southern European Entrepreneurship Engine project. Freire's introduction was followed by Daniel Gassman, Head of Sector Ecosystems and Prizes at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), who joined online to introduce the context where S3E stands, highlighting the main objectives of the New European Agenda and how the S3E project is working towards creating long-lasting impact by supporting deep tech research, innovation and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe.
Pedro Vilarinho, technical coordinator of the S3E initiative, took the stage to provide an overview of the S3E Start program, reflecting on its goals, milestones, and the remarkable progress made during the second cohort of research teams who joined the program in January. In the 2024 edition, S3E Start has supported 14 research teams in total, involving more than 60 researchers and 10 technology transfer officers from 12 different countries. The program also counted on the support of 30 mentors pooled from our community of S3E Experts.
The whole session, hosted by Roger Debo, consisted on 14 pitches from the finalist research teams, alternating onsite and online presentations, where the researchers explained the purpose and progress of their inspiring and significant work. Debo also delivered an inspirational talk on deep tech entrepreneurship.
The S3E Start Open Day showcased the remarkable potential of innovation in deep tech in Southern Europe, marking the culmination of 20 weeks of diligent effort by the 14 research teams participating in the S3E Start program. A huge congratulations to everyone involved for making this such a successful event!
The full recording of the S3E Start Open Day is now available to watch here.
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S3E Start: Meet the research teams selected to join the 2024 cohort
After a very competitive and thorough selection process, and thanks to the expert help of the S3E Evaluators, we are very excited to announce the research teams and technology transfer offices (TTOs) that have been selected to join the second edition of S3E Start!
During the second Open Call for S3E Start— which launched on 18 September 2023 and closed on 15 January 2024 — we received a total of 65 applications from research teams and TTOs from all across Southern Europe. From those, 14 research teams and 11 TTOs have been selected to conform the new cohort of S3E Start, welcoming a total of 80 researchers in this year's edition. Keep on reading to find out who they are!
Meet the 14 research teams selected for S3E Start 2024
BioScreen 🇷🇴
- Research team: Ioana Silvia Hosu and Luminita Dimitriu
- TTO: Mihaela Frincu
- Institution: National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry - ICECHIM
- Technology: A portable device that uses electrochemical quantification for real-time monitoring of plant oxidative stress, providing cost-effective screening of agrochemicals.
Blood2Power 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Andreia Trindade Pereira, Daniela Sousa, Herbert Middleton, Inês Gonçalves and Salomé Luís
- Institution: i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde
- Technology: A pioneering power-generating system that harnesses electrical energy from the movement of body fluids, like blood, to power medical devices.
BreastScreening-AI 🇵🇹
- Research Team: André Fadiga, Carlos Santiago and Francisco Maria Calisto
- Institutions: Instituto Superior Técnico Lisboa, Universidade de Coimbra and Universidade da Maia
- Technology: An advanced AI-driven diagnostic tool that integrates mammography, ultrasound and MRI data to enhance breast cancer detection accuracy, reducing diagnostic times and minimizing false positives and negatives.
C-Anal View 🇮🇹
- Research Team: Ilaria Toniolo, Francesca Rizzi and Lino Polese
- TTO: Francesca Rizzi
- Institution: Università di Padova
- Technology: A fenestrated anoscope and colonoscopy-compatible tool that improves tissue sampling, detects anal neoplastic lesions, and minimizes procedural risks. Its primary function is to enable precise visualization of the anal canal and rectum.
Comprehensive Pathogen Surveillance Ecosystem (CPSE) 🇹🇷
- Research Team: Cihan İspanoğlu, Ege Dedeoğlu, Gültekin Ünal and Hamza Yusuf Altun
- Institution: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Ankara University
- Technology: A comprehensive service suite for pathogen monitoring, delivering detailed reports via a customized database. It securely centralizes monitoring data, offers customizable diagnostics and optimizes action efficiency.
DOPANTS 🇬🇷
- Research Team: Anna Mastrogiorgi, Eleftheria Perivola, Marios Fragkioglou, Minas M. Stylianakis and Vasileios Tzatzadakis
- Institution: Hellenic Mediterranean University
- Technology: DOPANTS uses polymer nanocomposites to enhance safety and sustainability in medical consumables, offering infection resistance, customization via 3D printing, durability and reduction of environmental impact.
ECOPLAN 🇱🇹
- Research Team: Aurelijus Rinkevičius, Marius Kriukovas, Greta Čerškutė, Saulė Mačiukaitė-Žvienienė and Vytenis Mockus
- Institution: Vilnius University
- Technology: An AI-powered platform for construction material selection and recommendation. It analyzes projects from Building Information Models (BIM), suggests optimal materials, increasing selection accuracy by 60% and saving 20% project time.
GENESIS 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Alexandra Pinto, Diogo Silva, Helder Nunes and Lucas Marcon
- Institutions: Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Universal H2 and INEGI
- Technology: A plug-and-play off-grid production system providing clean fuel for boat owners and sodium borates for chemical industries. It offers hydrogen and power production, IP-protected borate, and promotes circular economy.
miRALS 129 🇮🇹
- Research Team: Linda Ottoboni, Mafalda Rizzuti and Stefania Corti
- TTO: Alessandro Cervi and Margherita Chierici
- Institutions: Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital and Università di Milano
- Technology: miRSEN is an active pharmaceutical ingredient that inhibits microRNA-129, an upregulated miRNA found in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, slowing down the progression of the disease.
NEMATEAM 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Cláudia Letras, Madalena Mendonça, Margarida Espada and Pedro Barbosa
- Institution: Universidade de Évora
- Technology: NemAway is a fast and efficient bionematicide, targeting a broad spectrum of plant-parasitic nematodes. It is environmentally friendly and can be easily applied to crops through contact or soil fumigation.
OncoMagnetoSweep 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Diana Fonseca, Luísa Fialho and Marta Laranjeira
- TTO: Natacha Rosa
- Institution: i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde
- Technology: A magnetic extracorporeal device removing cancer cells from blood, enhancing treatment by reducing side effects, treatment time, and sessions, with a global cost reduction.
OncoMets 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Ana Sofia Ribeiro, Bruno Freitas, Inês Conde, Joana Paredes and Rita Carvalho
- TTO: Bárbara Macedo
- Institutions: LEPABE-FEUP and i3S - Instituto de Investigação e inovação em Saúde
- Technology: A blood-based In vitro diagnostics (IVD) tool providing real-time monitoring for breast cancer. It offers accurate, non-invasive detection of recurrent cancer earlier than traditional methods, enabling timely interventions and improving patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs.
THYMI 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Rute Pinto and Pedro Ferreirinha
- Institution: i3S - Instituto de Investigação e inovação em Saúde
- Technology: THYMI offers for the first time the possibility to produce in laboratory patient-specific T cells that can be ready use to supplement patient immunity with no risk of transplanted cell rejection or side-effects.
UPWIND 🇵🇹
- Research Team: Luís Tiago Paiva, Fernando Fontes, Gabriel Fernandes, Manuel Fernandes, Rui Costa and Sérgio Vinha
- Institutions: Universidade do Porto and Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica (Universidade de Coimbra)
- Technology: ZEPHYRUS is a transportable airborne device that converts wind energy into electricity, ensuring access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable power in remote locations lacking access to the electricity grid.
S3E START is a program designed to help research teams and tech transfer officers to explore the commercial viability of their deep tech projects. Through an 18-week online training & mentorship program, the selected research teams will learn first-hand about the processes required to develop a business case for science-based products or services.
The 18-week immersive experience involves weekly online tutorials to guide the research teams in the development of a strong business case for their technology, and a series of webinars on diverse topics to help them build up relevant skills in intellectual property, technology commercialisation, how to pitch for funding, etc. Each team will be paired with a dedicated mentor who will guide them through the market validation for their deep tech research project, thus receiving 1-1 support for the development of their business case.
The whole South3E consortium is very proud to welcome these 14 research teams into the S3E Start program. Stay tuned for more updates on their journey with S3E!