LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy

What LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy does

LEPABE (Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy) is a university research unit established in 1998 at the Faculty of Engineering of Porto (FEUP), part of the University of Porto. It conducts interdisciplinary research across five groups — Processes, Products and Energy; Process Systems Engineering; Supramolecular Assemblies; Biotechnology; and Environmental Sciences and Technologies — spanning chemical, environmental, and biological engineering. Core technology areas include photoelectrochemical devices for solar water splitting, dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells, solar redox flow batteries, sorption-enhanced membrane reactors for hydrogen purification, carbon molecular sieve membranes for CO2 capture, oscillatory flow plate reactors, biofilm control via quorum-quenching phytochemicals, nucleic acid mimics for antimicrobial therapy, low-cost indoor air quality sensors, graphene-based phototherapy nanomaterials, and spray-drying/electrospinning microencapsulation. The research portfolio is backed by 35+ patent families, approximately 500 scientific publications attributed to Prof. Adélio Mendes, and 11 technology-based spin-offs.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue derives from competitive public research funding (FCT, European Commission/Horizon Europe/H2020/ERC, Portugal 2020, PRR, CCDR-N), industry-funded research contracts with companies such as Galp, Air Liquide, Soja de Portugal, CANCELAFÉ, TRIVALOR, and Águas do Douro e Paiva, technology licensing, and prize/award financing (e.g., the €50,000 Air Liquide Scientific Challenge). Go-to-market operates through academic channels (peer-reviewed publications, conferences, European research networks) combined with university-industry technology transfer via U.Porto Inovação and spin-off incubation at UPTEC. LEPABE is part of ALiCE, the Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, alongside LSRE-LCM and CEFT. The unit does not sell commercial products; its outputs are scientific knowledge, trained researchers (14-18 FCT PhD scholarships annually), patents, and licensed/spun-out technologies.

Name

LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy

Legal name

LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy

Website

https://lepabe.fe.up.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LEPABE is a University of Porto research unit conducting interdisciplinary chemical, environmental, and biological engineering research, funded by competitive grants and industry contracts, with outputs spanning patents, spin-offs, and licensed technologies for energy, health, and environmental applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research and Development Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Process engineering research
• Biotechnology research services
• Environmental engineering R&D
• Energy research laboratory
• University research partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: LEPABE operates primarily through competitive public funding from FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), European Commission (Horizon Europe, H2020, FP7), and national programs (Portugal 2020, PRR). Additional support comes from CCDR-N and other regional funding bodies.
2. Industry Research Contracts: Direct industry-funded research projects, technology transfer agreements, and consultancy services with companies including Galp, Air Liquide, Sunds Fibertech, CANCELAFÉ wines, and others.
3. Spin-off Licensing and Royalties: Revenue generation through spin-off companies such as Advanced Cyclone Systems (acquired by Sunds Fibertech in 2025) and technology licensing arrangements.
4. Prize and Award Funding: Competitive prize funding such as the Air Liquide Scientific Prize (€50,000) that includes additional project financing for technology development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LEPABE is an interdisciplinary research unit at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto that conducts fundamental and applied research in chemical, environmental, and biological engineering. It delivers R&D collaboration, technology transfer, patented technologies (35+ patent families), industry partnerships, and spin-off company creation, while training doctoral researchers across process engineering, environment, biotechnology, and energy.

Product overview

LEPABE is a university research unit operating in Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering at FEUP. Rather than a commercial product company, LEPABE's offerings include technology transfer services, research spin-off companies (such as Advanced Cyclone Systems), patented technologies (35+ patent families), and specialized research platforms in areas including nanotechnology for medical applications (Nano4Med), photoelectrochemical energy systems, biofilm engineering, and hydrogen production. The laboratory focuses on generating scientific knowledge and establishing successful university-industry collaborations for effective technology transfer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Technology Transfer Services
• Industry Partnership Programs
• Patented Technology Licensing (35+ patent families)
• Spin-off Company Incubation (Advanced Cyclone Systems)
• Doctoral Training Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 technology-based startups emerged from a research team of 50+ researchers
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Sunds FibertechmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Swedish industrial machinery specialist Sunds Fibertech acquired Advanced Cyclone Systems (ACS) in May 2025. ACS was founded in 2008 as a spin-off from LEPABE by Romualdo Salcedo and Pedro Araújo. ACS continues to operate as a dedicated business unit within Sunds Fibertech's Environmental Systems Division, retaining its existing team, leadership, and brand identity.
• Horizon Europe Twinning Partners (Fraunhofer IME, CEA, KPMG)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2024InnovAntiBiofilm is a Horizon Europe Twinning project coordinated by Prof. Manuel Simões, partnering with Fraunhofer IME (Germany), CEA (France), and KPMG (Portugal) to develop antibiotic adjuvants for biofilm resistance.
• COST Action CA23139 (Net4CleanAir)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2024COST Action with 29 countries led by Sofia Sousa (LEPABE) as Chair. Aims to create an international interdisciplinary network for promoting clean air in energy-efficient indoor environments.
• Montana State University (Center for Biofilm Engineering)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023ERA-CHAIR e.Biofilm project led by Nuno F. Azevedo from LEPABE with Darla Goeres and Matthew Fields from MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering. Project aims to create a group of excellence in Biofilm Engineering at FEUP with €2.5M EU funding.
• i3S (Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022LEPABE collaborates with i3S on multiple projects including Nano4Glio (ERA-NET) for glioblastoma therapy and LightCure/2D-Therapy for cancer phototherapy. i3S serves as a key partner for nanotechnology and biomedical research applications.
• SINTEF Industry (Norway)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in ERA-NET Nano4Glio project for engineered nano-based device for glioblastoma multiforme therapy alongside University of Copenhagen.
• University of CopenhagenmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in ERA-NET Nano4Glio project alongside SINTEF Industry and i3S.
• CANCELAFÉ winesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANCELAFÉ winery collaborates with LEPABE (group led by Prof. Lúcia Santos) on investigating potential valorization of wine industry by-products for cosmetic and food sector applications.
• TRIVALORminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with TRIVALOR to determine the carbon footprint of meals produced by the company, led by Prof. Belmira Neto.
• Directorate-General of Health (DGS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEPABE/ALiCE researchers collaborating with DGS on Legionellosis prevention through the 1st LegioFilms Seminar, discussing current legislation and challenges in Portugal.
• Águas do Douro e PaivaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on AGRONAUT project assessing agronomic impact of sludge amendment, led by Vera Homem.
• U.Porto InovaçãocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorU.Porto Inovação serves as the technology transfer office for LEPABE, facilitating spin-off creation, proof-of-concept funding through BIP PROOF and BIP Acceleration programs, and industry partnership development.
• ISEP (Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ISEP on biofuels and microalgae research, with Prof. Nídia Caetano serving as Coordinator Professor at ISEP while affiliated with LEPABE.
• Faculty of of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in ArRiscO project on firefighters' occupational exposure to air pollution alongside Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• INESC TEC: Portugal's leading private non-profit research institute, with co-located facilities at FEUP/Porto and direct collaboration ties to LEPABE researchers. INESC TEC covers applied R&D in energy, bioengineering, and advanced computing, sharing faculty and infrastructure with LEPABE.
• ITQB NOVA (Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier): Portuguese university research institute under NOVA University Lisbon conducting fundamental and applied research in chemistry, life sciences, and biotechnology. Comparable in scale, scope (multi-disciplinary biological/chemical engineering), and public funding model.
• iBET (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica): Portuguese biotech research institute focused on biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and food science. Comparable in mission (applied R&D, industry partnerships, technology transfer) and overlapping with LEPABE's biotechnology and pharmaceutical formulation work.
• LSRE-LCM: Sister laboratory at the Faculty of Engineering of Porto (FEUP) and co-member of ALiCE Associate Laboratory alongside LEPABE. LSRE-LCM focuses on separation and reaction engineering, with closely overlapping research themes in chemical engineering, catalysis, and process intensification.
• CEFT (Transport Phenomena Research Center): Sister research unit at FEUP and third co-member of ALiCE Associate Laboratory. CEFT works on transport phenomena, fluid mechanics, and computational modeling, complementing LEPABE's chemical/environmental/biological engineering scope within the same institutional framework.
• ICIQ (Institut Català d'Investigació Química): Spain's leading chemistry research institute with strong catalysis, sustainable energy, and pharmaceutical research programs. ICIQ operates a similar multi-disciplinary chemistry/engineering research model and represents the closest Iberian research peer to LEPABE.

Broad incumbents

• SINTEF Industry: Norway's largest contract research organization operating across process technology, materials science, and biotechnology. SINTEF is a direct ERA-NET partner with LEPABE on the Nano4Glio project and represents a comparable European applied-research model with stronger industrial scale.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME): Germany's Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft applied research division covering molecular biology and applied ecology. Fraunhofer IME is a Horizon Europe Twinning partner with LEPABE on InnovAntiBiofilm, and operates a comparable public-funded applied research model in biofilm/antibiotic research.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch contract research organization covering energy transition, circular economy, and industrial innovation. TNO is a closer peer than Fraunhofer for applied/industrial research with industry contracts and represents the Dutch counterpart to LEPABE's university-industry collaboration model.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's applied research organization with 2,000+ staff covering biotech, energy, and sustainable industry. Comparable to LEPABE in mission (applied R&D, industry partnerships, IP commercialization) but at substantially larger scale and broader industry footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy