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AlmaScience is pleased to announce that PetriTag® has been selected as a finalist in the 4th edition of the National Innovation Award (Prémio Nacional de Inovação, PNI), one of the most prominent distinctions dedicated to innovation in Portugal.

PetriTag® is a paper-based colorimetric label, battery-free, designed to detect bacterial contamination in fresh food without relying on laboratory analysis. Its visual response makes it possible to anticipate the signs of spoilage, opening the way to applications in food safety and in contexts where the early detection of contamination has a direct impact on public health and on reducing waste.

Developed under the “Embalagem do Futuro” (Packaging of the Future) Mobilizing Agenda of Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), PetriTag® follows AlmaScience’s ecodesign approach – namely the Appropriate Useful Life principle, that is, matching each product’s lifespan to its function without persisting beyond what is necessary – and also responds to a concrete market requirement: it does not compromise the recyclability of the packaging it is applied to and is itself recyclable and compostable through existing channels. More than a concept, this principle reflects AlmaScience’s purpose: to develop technology that reaches the market and becomes sustainable products with added value.

This is not PetriTag®’s first distinction: in late 2025, it won the Innovation Award at Expo Fish Portugal 2025, in the “New Equipment, Solutions and Digital Services” category.

The PNI is organized by Jornal de Negócios, Banco BPI and Claranet Portugal, with ANI – the Portuguese National Innovation Agency – and COTEC Portugal as institutional partners and NOVA SBE as knowledge partner. The awards ceremony will be held on July 9, at the NOVA SBE Auditorium in Carcavelos. Registration for the ceremony is available at bs.xl.pt/premio-nacional-inovacao/inscricao-para-cerimonia.

Carlos Silva, President and CEO of AlmaScience

 

The shortlist of finalists can be viewed at premionacionaldeinovacao.negocios.pt/shortlist.

About AlmaScience

AlmaScience is a collaborative innovation lab (CoLab) and technology incubator for sustainable functional materials and green electronics, located in Caparica and Aveiro.

With a multidisciplinary team of approximately 25 PhDs and Master’s in areas such as chemistry, biology, materials science, paper technology, and electronics, AlmaScience bridges the gap between research and industry. We partner with companies to transform scientific research into commercially viable products, always with a focus on sustainability and the circular economy.

AlmaScience is the central point of the Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem, the result of a collaborative partnership between the CoLab and key players in the Portuguese industrial ecosystem, including Imprensa Nacional – Casa da Moeda, The Navigator Company, Grupo Clara Saúde, Firmo, MEXT: Mota-Engil Next, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, NOVA.ID FCT, Raiz, Fraunhofer Portugal, and the Municipality of Almada.

Technologies developed by AlmaScience include PaperWeight AI (paper sensors for smart retail shelves, AlmaScience's first spin-off), PetriTag (biodegradable sensor for bacterial detection), and GELA (rapid cooling label for beverages).