The NAIVE project —Neotropical AI-assisted VErtebrate identification through ZooMS—, led by ICTA-UAB and scientifically directed by Dr André Carlo Colonese, Director of Research at the Department of Prehistory and ICTA-UAB, has received an ERC Proof of Concept grant to advance the development of a new solution for the molecular identification of species.

At Imaginae, we are deeply grateful for the trust placed in our team as the project’s technology partner. We will contribute to the design and development of the digital prototype that will support this scientific initiative.

A Project to Transform Species Identification Through AI

NAIVE was created with the aim of transforming the use of ZooMS —Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry— into a faster, more structured and scalable tool for the taxonomic identification of animal remains.

The project combines molecular analysis, mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence to facilitate species identification from fragmented remains or animal-derived products, particularly in contexts where traditional morphological identification methods are insufficient.

This approach could have a significant impact in areas such as biodiversity conservation, archaeological research, the study of historical ecosystems and the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

Imaginae’s Role

Vertical Imaginae Solutions will focus its contribution on developing the project’s digital prototype, designed to facilitate the management, analysis and interpretation of spectral data through digital technologies and applied artificial intelligence.

The platform will support the development of a more automated, traceable and structured workflow by integrating data-upload capabilities, assisted analysis, confidence indicators and the generation of interpretable results for scientific teams and potential institutional users.

This development is conceived as a technological proof of concept aligned with the project’s scientific objectives and based on a modular approach that will enable future stages of evolution, validation and scalability.

Science, Technology and Environmental Impact

For our team, participating in NAIVE represents a particularly meaningful opportunity to apply our expertise in digital platform development, artificial intelligence and process automation to a project with scientific, environmental and social impact.

Collaboration between advanced research and applied technology is essential to turn scientific knowledge into useful, reproducible and transferable tools. In this regard, NAIVE is an example of how digital innovation can help address major global challenges such as biodiversity loss and the illegal wildlife trade.

At Imaginae, we would like to congratulate Dr André Carlo Colonese, ICTA-UAB and all the collaborating institutions on this recognition, and once again express our gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this project.

Official ICTA-UAB news release.