The winners of the 7th edition of the Altice International Innovation Award (AIIA) have been announced. This is one of the largest monetary prizes currently awarded in Portugal in the field of technological innovation. The awards ceremony took place on November 21 at the Convento do Beato in Lisbon. Congratulations to the projects .Lumen, ExpressPIK, Charging the future of Evs through the wheel, and the startup Karion Therapeutics for the Born from Knowledge (BfK) award granted by ANI (Portuguese National Innovation Agency)!
The winners of the Startup and “Inclui by Fundação Altice” categories received a cash prize of 50,000 and 20,000 euros respectively, the opportunity to carry out a proof of concept (PoC), and access to Startup Lisboa’s incubation services. The Academia category was awarded 25,000 euros.
At the end of the ceremony, Ana Figueiredo also announced a surprise award in honor of Alcino Lavrador, former general manager of Altice Labs. For more than 15 years, he assisted the academic community and bridged connections with companies. Therefore, from 2024 on, the Alcino Lavrador award for university students will be awarded at the AIIA.
This edition featured 9 finalists selected from over 116 applications. The winners were chosen by Ana Figueiredo, CEO of Altice Portugal; Alcino Lavrador, Technology and Innovation Consultant; Anabela Pedroso, Corporate Adviser at CEiiA; Diogo Araújo, Director of the National Innovation Agency; Gil Azevedo, Executive Director of Startup Lisboa; Luís Santana, CEO of Cofina Media; Miguel Castro Neto, Dean of NOVA IMS; Paulo Firmeza, General Manager of Altice Labs; Pedro Santa Clara, Director of TUMO-Coimbra and Escola 42, and Teresa Salema, Director of the Altice Foundation.
The winners of the AIIA 2023
Inclui by Fundação Altice: .Lumen
The .Lumen glasses reproduce the main characteristics of a guide dog in a scalable medical technology product. Using the latest technologies in autonomous driving, robotics, and AI, the glasses can understand the environment and guide the user through it, allowing blind people to travel, explore the world, and live independently. The project was developed by Cornel Amariei, who came directly from Armenia.
Startup: expressPIK
A startup that offers diagnostics for personalized breast cancer treatments, through a test that makes it possible to identify which women have a specific genetic mutation so that a more personalized and targeted therapy can be applied. Congratulations to Ana Teresa Maia and her team!
Academia: Charging the future of Evs through the wheel
The doctoral project that stood out was that of Emanuel Marques. It involves the design and optimization of a new solution that incorporates a wheel with wireless battery charging capability. This new solution follows the current trend of integrating the propulsion system into the wheels, leaving only the batteries on the vehicle itself.
Born from Knowledge: Karion Therapeutics
Marta Costa’s startup focuses on the development of innovative and disruptive therapies, effective and safe for aggressive cancers. The project involves a promising molecule for cancer treatment, which may benefit from the advantages associated with the designation of “orphan drug,” including regulatory and trial-related requirements for human trials.