The first Portuguese centre of excellence for ocean research – INESCTEC.OCEAN – is already operating. Academia, government entities and companies gathered over two days for the kick-off of this €30M project – led by INEC TEC –, dedicated to promoting the development of emerging ocean sectors. In the early hours of the event, INESC TEC and SINTEF OCEAN – the main Norwegian centre for ocean R&D and a partner of the project – signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
After welcoming the more than 100 people who gathered in the city of Porto to kick off INESCTEC.OCEAN – with the Chairman of INESC TEC, João Claro, the Research Director for Energy and Transport in SINTEF, Arne Fredheim, the Ambassador of Norway in Portugal, Hanne Brusletto, the President of CCDR-N, António Cunha, the Secretary of State for Maritime Affairs, Lídia Bulcão, and the Secretary of State for Science, Ana Paiva –, INESC TEC and SINTEF ocean (two European R&D institutions with extensive experience in the ocean sector) signed a MoU.
This cooperation protocol aims to promote the exchange of knowledge, experience and resources for the development of more joint projects and initiatives focused on the potential of marine resources, to improve technical and scientific skills and promote social, economic and environmental benefits for the European marine ecosystem.
The INESCTEC.OCEAN project, which will focus on emerging ocean sectors, like offshore renewable energy sources, deep-sea monitoring, environmental impact assessment of human activities at sea, or offshore aquaculture, is just the first step in this cooperation between Portugal and Norway.
Concerning INESC TEC, João Claro reinforced the Institute’s commitment to boost Blue Economy, highlighting the importance of strategic partnerships between academia and industry – towards accelerating technological development for critical sectors, like the ocean. In the year INESC TEC celebrates the institution’s 40th birthday, João Claro mentioned that “over the last 40 years, INESC TEC has grown with Europe and the development of Portugal in Europe, evolving from an ambitious idea to a recognised institution in science, technology and innovation. Our 40th anniversary is not only a time to reflect on our achievements, but also an opportunity to look ahead to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. As we observe this milestone, we remain focused on strengthening European research and innovation and strengthening Portugal’s role in these endeavours.”
Arne Fredheim, representing SINTEF, also highlighted the role of academia and industry in the development of ocean industries, stating that some of the biggest, and most difficult, challenges of the coming times can be solved through sustainable use of ocean resources.
There is still much to be done in this sector; “75% of the seabed has yet to be mapped”, said Ana Paiva, Secretary of State for Science, reinforcing how the United Nations value the oceans – as proven by the decision to establish the decade until 2030 as the one for ocean science towards sustainable development. “The fact that one of Horizon Europe’s main missions is to recover our oceans and waters by 2030 is no mere coincidence. This is where INESCTEC.OCEAN comes in: a project of excellence that brings together several port administrations, industry, public sectors, society and, of course, INESC TEC and SINTEF’s excellence in research,” she added. According to Lídia Bulcão, Secretary of State for Maritime Affairs, the project’s “added value relies on the benefits of being developed within a European ecosystem that allows to leverage partnerships and make a connection with the projects that are already underway in Portugal – namely concerning the Blue Hub Portugal; this will favour a transfer of what is done in the various regions of the country, matching the needs with the real potential of our academia.”
At the national level, and regarding the competitive advantages of the new centre of excellence, Lídia Bulcão’s words about INESCTEC.OCEAN were clear: “the project is fundamental for the development of Portugal’s sustainable economy from the governance of public policies point of view, which is an integrated governance, focusing on a number of academia challenges, e.g., the development of innovation and technology projects to leverage the transfer of knowledge to companies and industry.”
Portugal has a coastline of about 2500 kilometres and one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world – the fifth at European level –, extending over 1.7 million square kilometres; this represents 95% of the national territory, with the maritime triangle that lies between mainland Portugal and the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores constituting 48% of all marine waters adjacent to the European continent. These data show how the Portuguese territory has privileged conditions for the development of the Blue Economy.
INESCTEC.OCEAN will take place between 2025 and 2031 and, in addition to INESC TEC and SINTEF ocean, also features Fórum Oceano, Cluster do Mar Português, and APDL – Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo.
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