Closing Session of the 2018/2019 PostDoc Programme / ECRA Prize

The ECRA prize is part of the ITQB/iBET Post-Doctoral Program, an annual program launched by the Post-Doctoral Association (PdA) in 2018 comprised by initiatives, courses and networking activities to promote active engagement of the PdA members and help to leverage their careers.

The ECRA prize aims to distinguish the best R&D proposal featuring frontier research between two members of the PdA working in distinct but complementary areas. With this, the ECRA Prize aims to develop the collaborative spirit within the institute and foster disruptive innovation. The proposals were evaluated by a panel of internal researchers, from ITQB and/or iBET, chaired by Prof. Maria Arménia Carrondo. In its first edition, the ECRA prize consisted of a 5000€ money prize entirely sponsored by ITQB-NOVA to help supporting a proof-of-concept for a future research project.

This first edition of the ECRA Prize was attributed to proposal submitted by Mónica Martins and Catarina Paquete entitled “A novel photocatalytic system for the production of added-value compounds using nonphotosynthetic microorganisms”. This project aims to develop an innovative strategy to make a non-photosynthetic bacterium to use sunlight as electron donor for the production of added-value products. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which this microorganism performs this process will be used to optimize this process.

The award ceremony will be on the 30th of May at 15:30 together with the closing session of the 2018/2019 PostDoc Programme.