Teresa Patrício Gouveia and Inês de Castro Gonçalves are the 2022 winners
Teresa Patrício Gouveia, one of the leading figures in Portuguese women’s politics over the past 40 years, was honored at the 35th edition of the Dona Antónia Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and biomedical researcher Inês de Castro Gonçalves received the Breakthrough Award for her contribution to innovation in science, particularly through the development of biomaterials and medical devices for antimicrobial and cardiovascular applications.
Presented since 1988, the Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira Awards aim to recognize and honor Portuguese women with exceptional life journeys, who stand out for their human qualities, entrepreneurial spirit, leadership skills, and social responsibility, as well as their openness to innovation and constant pursuit of personal growth. Since their inception, and throughout these 35 editions, the awards have honored individuals who have made a difference in Portugal’s economic, social, and cultural landscape. All the winners are protagonists of a unique and distinctive story, following the example of Dona Antónia’s life and work and identifying with the personal and professional values she embodies.
The independent jury, chaired by Artur Santos Silva, annually presents the Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors a well-established life’s work deserving of unequivocal public recognition, and the Rising Star Award, which seeks to highlight a significant career in its formative and developing stages. “One of the goals of our Global Sustainability Program—Seed the Future —is to actively contribute to the empowerment of 100 women, inspiring them to make a positive impact on society and on our country’s development, following precisely the example set by Dona Antónia,” says Raquel Seabra, Executive Director of Sogrape. “No matter how many ways we find to honor her, it will never be enough—whether through the Dona Antónia Awards to recognize exceptional women for their humanity and professional skills, the Antónia Adelaide Ferreira DOC Douro Red wine with the new 2019 vintage released precisely on July 4, or the name of the future bridge over the Douro River, which a public vote chose to call Ponte da Ferreirinha,” she concludes.
The 2022 Winners
Teresa Patrício Gouveia (b. 1946) earned a degree in History from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Lisbon, embarking early on a distinguished career in politics and women’s culture in Portugal. She held various political offices, beginning as a Member of the Assembly of the Republic for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) between 1987 and 2004. She also served as Secretary of State for Culture (1985–1990), Secretary of State for the Environment (1991–1993), Minister of the Environment (1993–1995), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2003–2004).
Alongside her political career, she maintained strong ties to the cultural sector, serving as Chair of the Steering Committee on Cultural Cooperation of the Council of Europe (1985–1987); Governor and member of the Executive Board of the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam (1990–1995); and Trustee (1997–2000) and President (2000 and 2003) of the Serralves Foundation.
She was also a member of the Advisory Board of the newspaper Público (1990–1991) and of the University of Lisbon (2007–2008); a member of the Council of Portuguese Honorary Orders—National Orders (2002–2003); a trustee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2004–2019); and, more recently (since 2020), a member of the Board of Trustees of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
This is the third time that the Dona Antónia Awards have honored one of the most prominent figures in national politics, following the recognition of Elisa Ferreira in 1992 at the 5th edition, and of Leonor Beleza in 2010 at the 23rd edition.
Inês de Castro Gonçalves (b. 1981) earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the School of Biotechnology at the Catholic University of Porto (2003). She then earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from FEUP—the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (2009)—with a dissertation on the development of biomaterials for contact with blood, with the
aim of preventing the formation of blood clots associated with the use of cardiovascular implants.
Since then, he has had a distinguished career in scientific research, serving as a researcher at INEB —the Institute of Biomedical Engineering—since 2012, where she has developed a new area of research using biocompatible and antimicrobial graphene-based materials for various biomedical applications. She is currently a Principal Investigator and head of the Advanced Graphene Biomaterials Group at i3S—Institute for Health Research and Innovation—and, within that institute, at INEB. She is also a member of the board of the Iberian Society of Biomechanics and Biomaterials and co-founder of the startup GOTech Antimicrobial.
Her primary research and innovation focus is the development of biomaterials and medical devices for antimicrobial and cardiovascular applications. Notable examples include catheters and disinfection devices coated with antimicrobial graphene, as well as graphene-reinforced decellularized polymers and matrices for vascular prostheses.
She regularly participates in various science outreach initiatives and, for over 10 years, coordinated the “Porto de Crianças” initiative, organized by INEB in partnership with the Porto City Council, with the goal of providing elementary school children with their first exposure to science.
She has led several technology transfer projects funded by various international organizations, which have resulted in the filing of five patents, one of which has already been granted. She has also been honored with some of the most prestigious awards given in the country to promising scientists under the age of 35. She served as the Portuguese representative to the Young Scientist Forum of the European Society for Biomaterials (2018–2021) and is the author of more than 40 scientific publications in high-impact international journals. She has coordinated several national and international projects, organized more than 25 international scientific conferences, and her research has been presented at more than 120 international events. She leads a large team of postdocs, research assistants, and doctoral and master’s students, having supervised more than 25 master’s and doctoral theses.
About Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira
Two centuries after the birth of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira (1811–1896), whom her fellow countrymen affectionately nicknamed “Ferreirinha,” to recall this unique figure in the history of the Douro Wine Region is to pay a fitting tribute to a woman who became a symbol not only of entrepreneurship and viticulture in the Douro, but also a shining example of altruism and generosity toward those most in need, contributing to the economic, social, and cultural development of Portugal.
Dona Antónia passed away on March 26, 1896, just as she was about to turn 85, after a life dedicated to the cause of the Douro Wine Region and its inhabitants, especially the poorest and most disadvantaged, and was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable figures in the history of one of the world’s earliest and most important demarcated wine-growing regions.
This frail yet vibrant and courageous woman became a rare symbol of entrepreneurship and is remembered today as an example of tenacity in combating the tragedy and misery that befell the Douro region as a result of the phylloxera plague, which destroyed vast vineyards and the dreams of many ruined farmers. It was a scene of desolation to which Ferreirinha responded resolutely in the fight against the vine disease, through research into the most advanced wine-making processes, the establishment of new, large-scale vineyard plantations, and substantial acquisitions of land and wine from fearful and financially strapped owners.
As the heiress to a wealthy Douro family with significant interests in vineyard cultivation and Port wine production, Dona Antónia found herself, at the age of 33, after being widowed, to take the helm of the family business and build what would become the FERREIRA estate—a mission she fulfilled with rare brilliance, demonstrating an extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit.
But Dona Antónia did not limit herself to managing the fortune she had inherited. Instead, she invested, with passion and intensity, in the Douro Region she loved so dearly, without waiting for protection or support from the government. It was said of Ferreirinha that she was generous toward the poor and the vulnerable, yet haughty toward the rich and powerful; and that she was just as at ease in the homes of the humblest workers as she was at the Royal Palace. All these qualities, combined with her fine wines—whose quality had been recognized with awards at the most prestigious international exhibitions—contributed to this extraordinary woman acquiring a mythical aura in the business world and in the Douro Region, with her recognition extending nationwide.
Winners from Previous Editions
1st Edition – 1988 Award
Maria do Rosário Nunes de Carvalho Teixeira
Award presented by: Maria de Jesus Barroso / Date of Presentation: July 4, 1989
2nd Edition – 1989 Award
Maria Cândida Oliveira Sousa Morais
Award presented by: Isabel Mota / Date of Presentation: July 4, 1990
3rd edition – 1990 Award
Catarina Hall (Encouragement Award / MBA)
Award presented by: Fernando Guedes / Date of Presentation: July 4, 1991
4th edition – 1991 Award
Maria do Carmo Portela de Herédia Vieira da Fonseca
Award presented by: Simonetta Luz Afonso / Date of Presentation: July 4, 1992
5th edition – 1992 Award
Elisa Maria da Costa Guimarães Ferreira
Award presented by: Teresa Patrício Gouveia / Date of Presentation: July 8, 1993
6th edition – 1993 Award
Ana Maria Guedes Antunes de Oliveira (Encouragement Award / MBA)
Award presented by: Maria Adelina Spratley Ferreira / Date of Presentation: June 30, 1994
7th edition – 1994 Award
Maria Rosalina Tavares Machado
Award presented by: Raquel Bettencourt Ferreira / Date of Presentation: July 4, 1995
8th edition – 1995 Award
Isabel Maria Lucena Vasconcelos Mota
Award presented by: Maria José Ritta / Date of Presentation: December 12, 1996
9th edition – 1996 Award
Maria Teresa da Silva Lopes (Encouragement Award / MBA)
Award presented by: Carlos Barral (on behalf of Luísa Amélia Oliveira Guterres) / Date of Presentation: July 4, 1997
10th edition – 1997 Award
Vera Nobre da Costa
Award presented by: Agustina Bessa-Luís / Date of Presentation: July 3, 1998
11th edition – 1998 Award
Estela de Magalhães Barbot
Award presented by: Francisco Javier de Olazabal / Date of Presentation: July 5, 1999
12th edition – 1999 Award
Graça Maria Cavaco de Morais (Encouragement Award / MBA)
Award presented by: Graça Morais / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2000
13th edition – 2000 Award
Maria de Jesus Barroso Soares
Award presented by: Catarina Vaz Pinto / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2001
14th edition – 2001 Award
Graça Viterbo
Award presented by: Margarida Sousa Uva Durão Barroso / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2002
15th edition – 2002 Award
Ana Teresa Tavares (Encouragement Award / MBA)
Award presented by: Isabel Alçada Vilar / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2003
16th edition – 2003 Award
Inês Costa Garcia and Maria João Teixeira Queiroz
Award presented by: Prof. Maria de Sousa, Ph.D. / Date of Presentation: July 15, 2004
17th edition – 2004 Award
Mafalda Mendes de Almeida
Award presented by: Dr. Manuela Ferreira Leite / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2005
18th edition – 2005 Award
Catarina Sismeiro / Joana Resende (Encouragement Award / MBA)
Award presented by: Dr. Leonor Beleza / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2006
19th edition – 2006 Award
Maria da Purificação Tavares
Award presented by: Eunice Mumos / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2007
20th edition – 2007 Award
Maria Isabel Torres Baptista Parreira Jonet
Award presented by: Fátima Barros / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2008
21st edition – 2008 Award
Joana Santos Silva
Award presented by: Isabel Cluny / Date of Presentation: July 2, 2009
22nd edition – 2009 Award
Joana Carneiro
Award presented by: Teresa de Sousa / Date of Presentation: July 8, 2010
23rd edition – 2010 Award
Leonor Beleza
Award presented by: Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2011
24th edition – 2011 Award
Raquel Seabra
Award presented by: Maria de Fátima Bonifácio / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2012
25th edition – 2012 Awards
Maria do Carmo Fonseca
Award presented by: Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues / Date of Presentation: July 4, 2013
26th edition – 2013 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Luísa Bastos Almeida
Newcomer Award: Marta Brandão
Award Ceremony: July 16, 2014
27th edition – 2014 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Teresa de Sousa
Newcomer Award: Ana Ventura Miranda
Award Ceremony: July 8, 2015
28th edition – 2015 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Teodora Cardoso
Newcomer Award: Raquel Oliveira
Award Ceremony: July 4, 2016
29th edition – 2016 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Maria Amélia Ferreira
Newcomer Award: Leonor Teles
Award Ceremony: July 4, 2017
30th edition – 2017 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ana Pinho
Newcomer Award: Nádia Piazza
Award Ceremony: July 4, 2018
31st edition – 2018 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Isabel Furtado
Newcomer Award: Cristina Fonseca
Awards Ceremony: July 4, 2019
32nd edition – 2019 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Maria Manuel Mota Breakthrough Artist Award: Sara do Ó
Ceremony: July 9, 2020
33rd edition – 2020 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Catarina Furtado Breakthrough Artist Award: Alexandra Machado
Awards Ceremony: July 5, 2021
34th edition – 2021 Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Maria João Avillez Breakthrough Artist Award: Maria do Carmo Teixeira Bastos Ceremony: July 1, 2022
More information about the Dona Antónia Awards is available at https://www.premiodonaantonia.pt/.