From 4 to 6 December 2025, CES BIOASSEMBLER team member Kristen Connor participated in MICROBIOTEC’25, the biannual Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology, hosted at the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, Portugal.

The research, an oral presentation co-authored with CES BIOASSEMBLER researchers Joana Vaz Sousa, Filipe Santos, Gustavo García-López, and Rita Campos, was delivered under Topic #8, From Science to Society and Business.

The presentation “Biosensors in Practice: Socioeconomic Insights from Forensics and Food Safety Monitoring in Portugal” examined the real-world use of biosensors in forensic science and food safety in Portugal based on qualitative research including interviews and ethnographic research, and how this knowledge can be shared with other specialists and the wider public. This research links the work conducted under Task 6.5 – the socioeconomic analysis of multiplexed biosensors in two areas in Portugal – with part of the work conducted under Task 2.2 – the producing of communication outputs.

During the session, the panel moderator described the contribution as offering a “totally different perspective” that was much-needed within broader discussions of biotech innovation.

MICROBIOTEC is a biennial congress, co-organized by the Portuguese Society of Microbiology and the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology. It brings together hundreds of national and international researchers and stakeholders to discuss innovations and challenges in microbiology and biotechnology, promote collaboration between academia and industry, and provide a platform for young researchers to share their work.