The MytUniSex project, coordinated by the researcher from the Population Genetics and Cytogenetics Group (XB2) of the CIM, Ángel P. Diz, will receive support for its valorization and implementation through Sherpa do Mar, a European program led by the REDE research group of the University of Vigo in which Campus do Mar and the R&D office also participate. This Tuesday, the 12 winning projects of the first edition of its Sherpa Journeys entrepreneurship program were announced, an initiative with which the program partners want to help promote the creation of innovative products and services that provide high added value solutions to real needs in the marine-maritime environment.
The projects selected in this first edition stand out for their great innovative component and offer high added value responses to challenges such as digitalization, sustainable use of resources, food safety and traceability, ecotourism or the protection and conservation of the marine ecosystem. Most are in the conception and prototyping phase, although entrepreneurial and inter-entrepreneurship initiatives in more advanced stages of maturation are also present.
All selected initiatives will have access to a specialized and comprehensive support program, lasting 14 months, in which they will be accompanied by a manager specialized in promoting entrepreneurship and transferring technology and knowledge and will receive scientific-technical advice. During this process, they will have mentoring, training, networking days, as well as services and technical means to consolidate their development and growth. The aim is to create a cross-border ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurship in the marine-maritime field and the blue economy, which favors job creation, synergies and business competitiveness.
Sustainable use of resources, food traceability, ecotourism…
Sectors such as aquaculture, canning, port, fishing and tourism are covered. The list of 12 selected projects includes, in addition to the MyUniSex project, which proposes the production of unisex mussel lines on a large scale and in a sustained manner throughout the year, the ActivaeAlgae project, focused on the creation of cosmetic products of natural origin, based on microalgae extracts and with anti-inflammatory, moisturizing or protective properties against ultraviolet rays; Bima, aimed at the development of technological solutions based on GIS and focused on improving the competitiveness of the port sector; Subgo, a virtual, augmented and mixed reality project aimed at the scientific research and dissemination of underwater landscapes with applications in the education and ecotourism sectors; ValBioSea, extraction for the selection of bioactive compounds, with high added value; DanteRoNPs, technology solutions for the elimination of nano-plastics in the marine ecosystem; Fish & Food Technology, for traceability and food safety of fishery products; Sailing For Science, focused on creating marine scientific tourism experiences; Container Over Board System, a container location and buoyancy system that allows generating alerts that reduce the generation of polluting discharges or possible risk situations for navigation or the marine environment; Blue Bioprana, biotechnology solutions that reduce environmental impact; ABZU Maritime Platform, a port operations platform; and Basemar, ecological anchoring beacons for maritime signaling and seafood farming parks that offer real-time data.
MytUniSex, coordinated by the researcher from the Population Genetics and Cytogenetics Group (XB2) of the CIM, Ángel P. Diz., and in which Paloma Morán, Juan J. Pasantes and Sofía Blanco, researchers from the XB2 group, Estefanía Paredes, researcher from the Coastal Ecology Group, and Damián Costas, technician from the Toralla Marine Science Station (Ecimat), participated, was positioned as the first project selected. The project also has the support of the Xunta de Galicia and the European Union, through its co-financing under the FEDER/FSE Galicia 2014-2020 Operational Program. MytUniSex will produce unisex mussel lines on a large scale and in a sustained manner throughout the year by implementing an intensive reproduction program in the laboratory. The researchers expect to achieve intense orange-colored meats, the most appreciated by the consumer and of great commercial value for the canning industry, or high-quality by-products with added value, such as caviar. The project also seeks to promote the sustainable use of marine resources, offering an alternative that could reduce the need to harvest seed in the rocky intertidal. The MytUniSex project presents a proposal with a strong R&D component and a very advanced degree of development, as its lead promoter, Ángel P. Diz, demonstrates extensive knowledge of the technology presented and its associated products and assures that “it is an innovative technology with great market potential in the Euroregional marine-maritime field”.
More than 60 nominations were received
Led by the REDE group and with the participation of Campus do Mar and the R&D Office of the University of Vigo, Sherpa Journeys also has the support of the Vigo Free Zone Consortium, the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and the universities of Santiago and A Coruña. On the part of Portugal, the Asprela Technology Transfer Association (UPTEC), the University of Porto, the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) and the Forum Oceano-Associacão dá Economia do Mar participate.
In this first edition of the program, more than 60 proposals were submitted to this initiative that will form part of an online catalog of business ideas, where they will be given the opportunity to gain visibility to establish contacts with potential collaborators and investors. This web directory will also be open to entrepreneurs who did not participate in the call. The only requirement is that the business idea is based in Galicia or northern Portugal and that it covers a need in the marine-maritime sector based on scientific-technical knowledge.
Source: DUVI
