Seven ocean research-related entities will form the Regional Smart Sea Platform to support the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N) in defining strategic priorities in maritime resources and economy, it was announced today.
“The PREMI – Regional Smart Sea Platform is a collaborative structure of seven entities that aims to energize the Regional Platform of Intelligent Specialization dedicated to the area of Resources and Economy of the North Sea of Portugal and support the CCDR-N in entrepreneurial discovery in resources and economy of the Sea by identifying priorities, lines of action and structuring projects for intelligent specialization,” explained to Lusa the CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto, one of the partners.
With the consortium’s first meeting scheduled for today, Vítor Vasconcelos, director of CIIMAR and leader of PREMI, maintains that “the project will enable the development and presentation of entrepreneurial discovery proposals, define anchor projects and highlight the competencies necessary for the valorisation of the blue economy of the Northern region.”
“The mission of this platform is to support the CCDR-N in the entrepreneurial discovery process associated with defining investment priorities, notably with regard to technological and scientific infrastructures in the domain of the resources and economy of the sea,” notes CIIMAR, in a written statement sent to Lusa.
According to the institution, “in practical terms, these processes seek a multi-institutional response that identifies investment priorities in scientific and technological infrastructures.”
This, with a “strong emphasis on sustainable growth, digital and social transition.”
On the other hand, there is “a clear focus on valorisation of intelligent specialization chains and strengthening the regional innovation system through competencies and the involvement of a broad group of stakeholders.”
The collective structure, funded by NORTE2030, distributes the critical mass across six working groups.
Among them are the continuous monitoring of the ocean, coastal biosystems, biotechnologies and circularity of the economy, aquaculture, and ocean energies.
To these domains are added advanced materials and ocean technologies, “which should identify lines of action and formulate recommendations, priorities and anchor structuring projects for the intelligent specialization of the Norte region,” says CIIMAR, based in Matosinhos, in the Porto district.
The consortium of seven entities includes, besides CIIMAR, Fórum Oceano (co-promoter), B2E – Association for Blue Bioeconomy, CENTITVC – Center for Nanotechnology and Functional and Intelligent Materials, INESC TEC – Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo and the University of Minho.
