In the photo: Concepta McManus, Mônica Freitas (representing Felipe Hernandes Coutinho), Geraldo Nunes, Roseli Mello, Priscilla Siqueira Melo, Daniel Gonzaga, Filipe Menegatti de Melo (representing Felipe Valença Pereira), Diego Carlos Rodriguez Hernandez (representing Andres Mauricio Caraballo Hernandez), Isabelle Cândido de Freitas.
“Innovation is a necessity. Either we innovate or we sink.” With these words, Geraldo Nunes, director of Capes, opened the opening ceremony of the Capes Natura Campus Award 2018. The event took place on November 30, at Natura Cosméticos, in Cajamar, São Paulo, with the presence of more than 160 people from academia, companies, start-ups, associations, and research funding agencies.
The second edition had 92 entries and 5 finalists, divided into two categories: conservation and biodiversity. In both, the focus was on what is in Natura's DNA: bioinnovation linked to Brazil's natural wealth. “Sustainability has ceased to be a concept to become a heritage, an intrinsic value for the company,” highlighted Nunes. “This award is a scenario where everyone wins: the Capes seal, which trains high-level human resources, and Natura, a brand of national and international relevance.” For the company, innovation also represents growth. Roseli Mello, Director of Innovation at Natura, emphasized that about 60% of all revenue obtained is linked to products launched in the last two years. Encouraging and recognizing new scientific talents is a fundamental part not only of Natura's identity but also of its strategic planning every year.
Priscilla Siqueira Melo was the winner in the biodiversity category, with the research Antioxidative and prooxidative effects in good lipids and synergism with A-Tocopherol of açaí seed extracts and grape rachis extracts. The work detailed how to seek antioxidant elements in parts of the açaí fruit and grapes that are generally discarded, such as seeds and stems. In the conservation category, the trophy went to Felipe Hernandes Coutinho, with the research Marine viruses discovered via metagenomics shed light on viral strategies throughout the oceans, which analyzed how marine viral communities can adapt to seasonal changes in temperature and light. The winners received a prize of R$ 25,000 each. All finalists received honorable mentions for their respective works.
Know to conserve
To bring the frontier of knowledge and challenges on the award theme, the event featured a panel moderated by Eliane Trindade, a journalist from Folha de São Paulo, among Iguatemi Costa, scientific manager at Natura, Sandra Zanotto, founder of the start-up Amazon Doors, and Maria Ângela Meirelles, director of the Brazilian Society of Food Science and Technology (sbCTA). Together, the three highlighted the conservation potential of natural wealth through investment in science and research. During the conversation, one viewpoint was unanimous: biodiversity is a technological platform with space for analysis, discovery, and affirmation that all human beings play a role in the social web to ensure a more sustainable future.
“You do not conserve what you do not know,” pointed out Costa. “The role of science is to discover to conserve, recognize, and value.” Natura's scientific manager reminds us that innovation is an expensive investment, but once it becomes a cornerstone within companies, it bears fruit. “Bioeconomy is not an extra cost for the company. Just do the math to discover that it is not only a realistic business vision but will soon be our only path.”
Becoming an increasingly relevant reference in bioinnovation research is part of Natura's philosophy. By creating new quality products that value Brazilian biodiversity, the company invites its consumers to integrate into the network that cares for nature conservation and values it as the greatest national heritage.
