TERRA researcher awarded prestigious ERC grant for innovative water quality monitoring project
Researcher Paulo Rocha, a member of the Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE) and the TERRA Associate Laboratory, was recently awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant, one of the most prestigious scientific research distinctions at the European level. This funding will support the development of the PROTEGE project, which aims to validate an innovative prototype capable of real-time detection of cyanobacteria in drinking water reservoirs and pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture tanks.
The European Research Council – ERC awarded only four such grants to Portugal, with TERRA being recognized with one of them, further reinforcing its position as a national and international scientific reference institution.
The PROTEGE project builds upon the advances achieved in the previous ERC-funded project — the ERC Starting Grant GREEN — which marked a turning point in the field of environmental bioelectronics. This initial project led to the development of highly sensitive porous conductive foams, capable of monitoring the electrical signaling of microbial communities in diverse aquatic contexts.
According to researcher Paulo Rocha:
“The ERC Starting Grant GREEN project represented a major advancement in environmental bioelectronics by developing porous foams with high sensitivity, electrochemical stability, and compatibility with complex media. These foams function as sensors capable of detecting and monitoring the electrical signaling of microbial communities across various aquatic environments/systems. The work involved careful optimization of the morphology of the conductive material, as well as its integration with highly sensitive and robust electrical readout systems.
With the continuity now made possible through the PROTEGE project, we are entering a new phase: testing and validating these sensors in real industrial settings, bridging the gap between fundamental research and practical application. This path opens up new possibilities for real-time monitoring of microbial ecosystems, with potential impact in areas such as water treatment, precision agriculture, and environmental biotechnology.”
This new funding enables the CFE research team to take a decisive step toward scientific transfer, applying knowledge generated in the laboratory to real industrial scenarios — particularly in aquaculture systems and drinking water reservoirs, where the presence of harmful microorganisms represents a significant risk to public health and ecosystems.
The awarding of this grant to the PROTEGE project represents not only recognition of the scientific merit of Paulo Rocha’s team but also a reaffirmation of TERRA as a center of excellence in science applied to environmental and food-related issues. In a context where environmental and health challenges demand increasingly swift and innovative responses, this achievement highlights the valuable contribution of national research to globally impactful solutions.
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