Innovation Valley for the Blue Economy established in Leixões: public tender for the construction of R&D infrastructure extended until November

INESC TEC leads the consortium responsible for the implementation of the Leixões Blue Hub (HAL) – a scientific, technological and innovation infrastructure, aimed at the sustainable development of the Blue Economy. The public tender for the construction of this infrastructure, launched in July, was extended until November 27. There are €4.9M available for the approved company.

Funded under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the HAL aims to develop and test ocean technologies, favouring the skills to monitor and manage marine ecosystems, while promoting the training of highly qualified human resources for sea activities. This is a pioneering infrastructure at the national level, which will be installed on the logistics platform of APDL – Port Administration of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo.

“This infrastructure will be one of the few European facilities able to provide a protected testing environment of different technologies”, mentioned José Manuel Mendonça – adding that the Leixões Blue Hub “aims to become one of the pillars of a national and regional strategy for the development of an ocean technology cluster, so that the country can address, with its own competencies, the challenges associated with offshore wind energy (as well as other energy sources).

According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of INESC TEC, the main goal is to establish an “Innovation Valley in ocean technologies for offshore energy – designed in Matosinhos, but with influence in Aguçadoura, Póvoa de Varzim, Esposende, Viana do Castelo and Minho – that leverages R&D interests with those of companies, and the support of municipalities”. This initiative is supported by SEM and CCDR-N.

The project brings together public administration, academia, and technology companies, and promises to seize “the opportunities that lie ahead”, not only in terms of the development of offshore technologies, but also the testing of materials and systems capable of withstanding ocean conditions. In addition, HAL will host the biobank of national marine resources and blue biotechnology laboratory, and a scientific diving centre, promoting ocean literacy.

The public tender for the construction of the Leixões Blue Hub – I, has been running since July 28, and the deadline for submission of proposals was recently extended until November 27. The work, which involves the construction of a multipurpose central tank – whose depth can reach 30 meters – must be completed within 365 days. The contracting authority is INESC TEC, as leader of the Leixões Blue Hub consortium.

The project was presented at a public ceremony with José Maria Costa, Secretary of State for Maritime Affairs, Luísa Salgueiro, Mayor of Matosinhos, João Neves, President of APDL, José Manuel Mendonça, Domingos Moreira, CEO of VEconcept, and Rita Barros, Head of the Legal Support Office at INESC TEC.

The Leixões Blue Hub – I is one of the eight hubs that are part of the Blue Hub Portugal Network; the partners are the Municipality of Matosinhos, the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), the Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), Fórum Oceano and APDL.