A team of young researchers from CPSBB won a student competition for innovations and entrepreneurship

The young researchers, Aleksandra Ivanova, Valeria Tonova, Alexander Angelov, and Yanitsa Ivanova, mentored by Dr. Gergana Zahmanova, Technology Transfer and IP Management Expert at CPSBB, won the student competition Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E) – 2025. The event was held on 16 June 2025 at Agriculture University – Plovdiv. The CPSBB team competed with students from the University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv, Thracian University in Stara Zagora, and Agriculture University-Plovdiv. The team will represent Bulgaria during the upcoming European finals of the competition!

The award was presented by Prof. Dr. Dimo ​​Atanasov – Vice-Rector of Agricultural University-Plovdiv and  the Mayor of Trakia Municipality in Plovdiv – Mr. George Gatev.

BISC-E is a European student competition for innovation and entrepreneurship. The platform provides students with opportunities to demonstrate and develop their entrepreneurship and creative thinking, to solve new technological, environmental and societal challenges with innovative bio-based approaches.

The CPSBB’s team presented an innovative method for fast and cost-effective production of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins in plants of the species Nicotiana benthamiana. The main goal of the research  is to create diagnostic tools against SARS-CoV-2 and hepatitis E virus (HEV) and potentially develop plant-based vaccines. The proteins produced in plants are suitable for detecting antibodies in humans and pigs by in-house ELISA analysis.