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In memoriam
Júlio Maggiolly Novais graduated in Industrial Chemical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, in 1966. After graduating, he joined IST as an Assistant in Chemical Technology. In 1968 he began his postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, obtaining an M.Sc. in Biological Engineering and a PhD in 1971, with a pioneering thesis on enzyme immobilisation supervised by Nick Emery. In 1974 he returned to IST as an Assistant Professor and created the first Biochemical Engineering course in Portugal.
The Júlio Maggiolly Novais Award was established by the Board of the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology in 2021 to honour, every two years, a biotechnologist of national and international renown, with an exceptional record of scientific achievement, an inspiration to generations of professionals in biotechnology and with outstanding contributions to the development of biotechnology in Portugal.
He was a pioneer of biotechnology teaching in Portugal.
His scientific activity focused on Enzyme Technology and Environmental Biotechnology, two areas he developed to create a school not only at IST but also at other universities and research laboratories. He was one of the founders of the Centre for Biological Engineering of the University of Lisbon and Principal Investigator of “Line 7”, the Biochemical Engineering Laboratory at IST.
In 1983, Júlio Novais obtained his Habilitation. Joaquim Sampaio Cabral was his first PhD student (1978-1983). He contributed to creating the Biotechnology branch of the Chemical Engineering degree at IST and the IST M.Sc. in Biotechnology.
The Portuguese Society of Biotechnology (SPBT) was also created by Júlio Novais, in April 1981, at the 2nd European Congress of Biotechnology held in Eastbourne, in the south of England. SPBT was officially launched in May 1981 and Júlio Novais was its first President. He was the driving force of the society, regularly writing its “Biotechnology Bulletin” and joining the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB).
Júlio Novais also played a very important role in the development of Science and Technology in Portugal. He held several prominent positions at JNICT, as President of the Biotechnology Coordination Committee and later as Vice-President of FCT.
He played a leading role in the development of Portuguese biotechnology and the careers of its researchers.
Júlio Maggiolly Novais Award
2021
Professor Emeritus at the University of Minho, in 2021, for his exceptional contribution to the development of biotechnology in Portugal throughout his career and his active role in SPBT. He was President of SPBT from 1993 to 2002.
2023
For his exceptional contributions to advanced training and scientific leadership in biotechnology, recognised nationally and internationally. He was a central figure in the history of the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology and in the development of biotechnology and bioengineering in Portugal.
2025
Professor at the University of Minho, recognised for his exceptional contributions to Food Biotechnology and Bioprocess Development and for his leadership in promoting biotechnology and training specialists in Portugal. He was President of the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology from 2009 to 2021, playing a key role in guiding the society and strengthening its impact on the national biotechnology community.