The projects LeGut and Pillminder, both with the participation of students from the University of Porto, were two of the winners of EIA 2023.
Finding a solution to the lack of reliable food intolerance tests on the market was the goal to which José Duarte Justo, from the Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, and Patrícia Barros da Silva, from the Doctoral Program in Biomedical Engineering, both from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), were predisposed when they started their participation in the largest technological and digital entrepreneurship program in the world. world. Thus was born the LeGut project, elected one of the “TOP 10 Teams” of the European Innovation Academy 2023, which ended last August 4, with a closing session at Palácio da Bolsa, in Porto.
Developed over three weeks in the rooms of U.Porto, the award-winning project – which also included the participation of students from the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), Texas A&M University (USA) and North Greenville University (USA) – consists of the proposal of a “personalized intestinal device to respond to local intolerance”.
FEUP’s young entrepreneurs will now have the opportunity to participate in mentoring sessions offered by iBTIQUAR Innovation Lab. The team will also have the support of Antler Iberia to “accelerate” their idea towards the market.
In addition to LeGut, EIA 2023 awarded nine other innovative solutions in areas as diverse as energy transition, green transition or health.
This year’s TOP 10 Teams also include a technology to improve safety in mini-farming(Canary), a “marketplace” for selling tickets on social media(BoomTickets), a system to report companies’ carbon footprint(CarbonLX), an artificial intelligence-based solution to support radiologists in their diagnoses (BreastScreening-AI); a solution to reduce the impact of climate change on coffee farming(SmartGarden Coffee), a circular reusable packaging(Re:public), an eco-friendly fuel based on non-recycled plastics (Blastica Solutions), a tool to help locate people in need of urgent medical care in crowds(Beacon) and a platform bringing together young entrepreneurs and retired experts(Wiso).
The right medication at the right time
EIA 2023 also distinguished three projects with special awards from Nixon Peabody, a Boston-based law firm with international offices in London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Among them is Pillminder, by Ana Rita Gaspar, a student of the Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy of U.Porto (FFUP).
Teaming up with students from Singapore University of Social Sciences (Singapore), UC Berkeley (USA), University of Technology of Compiègne (France) and Mount Royal University (Canada), the FFUP student developed a proposal capable of “ensuring that people are taking the right medication at the right time”.
The $25,000 Nixon Peabody The Ed Quinones Spark Award-winning solution consists of a combination of “physical hardware, such as a physical medication dispenser,” and an app, to “dispense the right medication at the right time.”
Like the other EIA 2023 participants, the three U.Porto students who won awards also secured the opportunity to present their individual profiles to companies in the Antler Iberia portfolio, as well as a 50% discount on access to training offered by the Business2abroad program.
About EIA
Considered the largest technological and digital entrepreneurship program in the world, the European Innovation Academy(EIA) held its second edition this year in Porto, where it will remain until 2027.
Started on July 16, EIA 2023 was attended by more than 500 students from 50 universities around the world, giving them the opportunity to learn how to create their own startup with leading professionals in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. All this through an intensive and accelerated innovation program lasting three weeks.
EIA 2023 was co-organized by theUniversity of Porto and thePorto City Council, as hosts, withSantander Universidades as partners.- which provided 140 scholarships for Portuguese students to participate in EIA – and alsoBeta-i,Galp and OSCE ( Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), Google, Berkeley University, Stanford University, among others.
