With funding of around €1.5 million from Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, under the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF), the project aims to promote innovation in European Union regions, with a focus on red biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry. INOVA+ is one of the partners involved in this initiative.
Coordinated by the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region (CIM-RC), BIO-RED promotes interregional cooperation and the creation of investment-ready business cases, with a particular focus on digital innovation and sustainable green technologies.
O projeto aposta no reforço dos ecossistemas de inovação através do aumento da capacidade das regiões participantes e da ligação entre diferentes atores do setor, promovendo colaboração estruturada entre ecossistemas de biotecnologia de várias geografias europeias.
Interregional Platform and Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Accelerator
One of the main expected results is the creation of an interregional innovation platform designed to facilitate collaboration between the biotechnology ecosystems of the different regions involved.
The project also includes the Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Accelerator, which will directly support companies and entrepreneurs to accelerate the development of innovative solutions in the project areas. The accelerator will provide specialized mentoring, access to resources and support in preparing businesses for investors, helping to transform ideas into sustainable businesses.
Through collaborative events such as thematic laboratories, where participants work together to respond to industry challenges, and hackathons aimed at promoting open innovation and encouraging disruptive solutions in biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry, BIO-RED will also boost interregional cooperation.
BIO-RED: a broad European consortium with the participation of INOVA+
The consortium brings together ten partners from seven EU countries, including INOVA+, the AccelBio Association and Biocant Park (Portugal), Medicen Paris Region (France), the Hellenic Biotech Cluster (Greece), the Danish Life Science Cluster (Denmark), LithuaniaBIO (Lithuania), the Health and Life Sciences Cluster Bulgaria (Bulgaria), Uppsala University (Sweden) and EIT Health InnoStars (Germany).
As co-leader of the Communication, Dissemination, Exploitation and Sustainability tasks, INOVA+ plays a crucial role in ensuring the visibility of the project, disseminating results and sustaining the innovations generated. The project began in September 2025 and is expected to last 24 months. BIO-RED represents a significant step forward in enhancing the competitiveness of less developed European regions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, while strengthening the European Union’s global position in these sectors.