Biotechnology company from Santa Catarina recognized in the Sustainable Agro-Industrial Chains category
October 24, 2025 (Florianópolis, SC, Brazil)
Symbiomics, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing biological products for agriculture, was one of the winners of the Southern Region stage of the 2025 Finep Innovation Award, an initiative of the Brazilian Funding Authority for Studies and Projects (Finep). The ceremony, held at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (FIESC), in Florianópolis, marked the return of the award after a 10-year hiatus.
The initiative celebrates projects that strengthen Brazil’s innovation ecosystem and transform knowledge into impactful technological solutions for society. First held nationally in 1999, the Finep Innovation Award recognizes initiatives that drive the country’s scientific and technological development. In the 2025 edition, Finep evaluated 3,000 projects supported between January 2023 and December 2024, from which 144 projects are competing in regional stages, distributed across eight categories including sustainable agribusiness, health, digital transformation, and other fields.
Symbiomics was awarded in the “Sustainable Agro-Industrial Chains” category for its ongoing project focused on developing an innovative bioinput based on a synthetic microbial community (SynCom) designed to enhance phosphorus bioavailability for plants. The solution increases the accessibility of this essential macronutrient in the soil and has the potential to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in economically important agricultural systems. “The rationale behind this project is to leverage Symbiomics’ proprietary platform to discover beneficial microorganisms derived from Brazilian biodiversity, capable of making soil phosphorus available to plants in a more sustainable way,” explained Jader Armanhi, COO and co-founder of the company, alongside Rafael de Souza (CEO).
The technology under development has the potential to decrease the use of phosphate-based chemical fertilizers, while boosting crop productivity and reducing dependence on chemical inputs – a strategic advance for the sustainability and competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness. The project is supported by Finep through its Economic Subsidy for Innovation program, under the Intellectual Property Commercialization Support Initiative.
“The recognition granted by Finep is a very meaningful endorsement of the path we are building at Symbiomics. This project reflects the dedication of a highly qualified team committed to bringing cutting-edge science to the field with excellence. I feel honored to lead this initiative and excited for the next steps and outcomes,” said Mariana Ramos, project coordinator, who received the award from Luiz Antonio Elias, President of Finep.
The award reinforces the recognition of Symbiomics’ commitment to developing high-impact innovation. Symbiomics and the other regional winners will now compete in the national stage of the Finep Innovation Award. The final winners will be announced in December, during a ceremony to be held at the Palácio do Planalto in Brasília.
ABOUT SYMBIOMICS
Symbiomics is a Brazilian biotechnology company. Founded in 2021, its goal is to globally transform agriculture with next-generation biological products. The company develops high-performance solutions to sustainably increase agricultural productivity, with less environmental impact. The products contain microorganisms used for multiple applications such as plant nutrition, biocontrol, carbon sequestration, and biostimulants. The company’s Research and Development department works with cutting-edge advancements in genomics, microbiomes, and data analysis to enhance agricultural crop productivity through multiple approaches such as biofertilization, increasing resilience to environmental stress, and biological control. More information at: www.symbiomics.com.br and www.linkedin.com/company/symbiomics/.
