INESC TEC wins first edition of the Mar Sustentável Award

As part of an unprecedented initiative that aims to highlight the work related to the Blue Economy, INESC TEC received the Mar Sustentável Award – in the “Science and Technology” category.

This initiative aims to promote knowledge about the Ocean Economy while acknowledging endeavours focusing on sustainability, according to the ESG approach – Environment, Social and Governance (profitability with high environmental and social performance). INESC TEC’s application was supported by the Institute’s R&D project portfolio – which, by covering a wide range of Ocean Economy sectors, is particularly active in marine renewable energies (including green hydrogen), environmental monitoring and protection, harbours, maritime defence and living marine resources (fisheries and aquaculture). Moreover, the institution was involved in 30 projects with a total funding of more than €20M – between 2020 and 2021 (years with compiled and validated data).

In addition to the “Science and Technology” category, the Mar Sustentável Award also acknowledged institutions dedicated to Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Ocean Literacy, as well as the “Personality of the Year”.

According to Diana Ramos, director of Jornal de Negócios, “this award stems from the need to reinforce the visibility of Ocean Economy”. Although there are well-established sectors, Diana Ramos claimed that “certain areas have great potential, but are not yet fully developed, i.e., blue biotechnology, ocean renewable energies, maritime robotics or digital technologies”.

The award was presented on February 24, in Oeiras, in a ceremony that featured José Maria Costa, Secretary of State for Maritime Affairs, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Chief of the Naval Staff, and António Nogueira Leite, President of Fórum Oceano. The audience of experts, researchers and representatives of entities dedicated to the Ocean had the opportunity to attend the debate on “The Future of the Blue Economy”, promoted by Maria João Mediana, Director of the Marine and Environmental Research Centre at the University of Algarve, and Rúben Eiras, Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano.

Promoted by Jornal de Negócios and Fórum Oceano, with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Oeiras and the institutional support by the Office of the Secretary of State for Maritime Affairs, this was the first edition of an initiative that aims to advance, encourage, and improve the development of the different Ocean sectors.

Credits photo: Cofina