UAlg Mirabilis spin-off wins entrepreneurship and innovation award

The company Mirabilis, a spin-off from the University of Algarve, won the Crédito Agrícola Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award. The company, which is dedicated to the production of oyster seed, was awarded in the «Production and Transformation» category, in the 2nd edition of these awards.

The now distinguished company was born in 2015, from the “Angulata” project, which won the “Ideias em Caixa 2013” ​​contest, by CRIA, "to fill a gap in the aquaculture sector, resulting from the scarcity of natural stocks and the inexistence of oyster hatcheries in Portugal, which forces oyster farmers to import seed of a non-endemic species to hatcheries abroad", according to the University of Algarve.

Mirabilis' main activity focuses on the production, in a maternity environment, of juveniles with Portuguese oyster seed, «investing in the research and optimization of production techniques, in order to respond, through the Portuguese brand Angulata, to the needs of the markets National and international".

«This distinction, which translates into a cash prize of 5 thousand euros, is a great reward for all the effort and dedication we have dedicated to this project, in addition to allowing us to give visibility to our activity and raise awareness of the importance of preserving the oyster Portuguese”, refer Márcia Santos and Maurício Namora, responsible for the company.

The two young entrepreneurs, graduated in Marine Biology by UAlg, recognize that the role of CRIA – Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer Division has been fundamental since the beginning of this project, as they consider that «Ideias em Caixa» was the «great start-up " from the company.

“It allowed us not only to work on our idea, but also to acquire more skills, meet other entrepreneurs, exchange experiences, draw up a business plan and start the pilot phase”, they assure.

“A good idea is fundamental, but it must be accompanied by strong willpower, commitment and persistence. Difficulties will arise, but dedication and perseverance are the way forward», believe Márcia Santos and Maurício Namora.