A delegation from Hub Azul Leixões visited the Centre to explore synergies for the development of similar scientific infrastructures in Portugal.

A delegation from Portugal’s Hub Azul Leixões initiative visited the University of Vigo’s Marine Research Centre (CIM) today with the aim of strengthening institutional collaboration, exploring synergies with the Portuguese marine sector and developing scientific and technological infrastructures related to the blue economy. Specifically, they visited the facilities of the Toralla Marine Science Station (ECIMAT), which is recognised as a Research Support Centre (CAI) of the University of Vigo and is part of the European infrastructure EMBRC-ERIC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre).

The visit is part of the Hub Azul Leixões – Polo 1 (HAL), a strategic initiative to promote innovation and technological development in the environment of the Port of Leixões (Portugal). The HAL is made up of relevant entities in the maritime and technological field in Portugal. Specifically, it is formed by the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência (INESC TEC), leader of the consortium; together with the Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo (APDL); the Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos (CMM); and the Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), the Instituto de Ciência e Inovação em Engenharia Mecânica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI); and the Fórum Oceano.

HAL’s main objective is to develop and test ocean technologies that promote a sustainable blue economy. It also contributes to the monitoring and management of marine ecosystems and offers various initiatives aimed at training highly qualified human resources for maritime activities, addressing the market needs of the economy of the sea and the trends towards more digital and environmentally friendly economic models. Hence their interest in getting to know the CIM, as these topics coincide with the centre’s scientific and technical priorities (aquaculture and shellfish farming and harvesting, marine pollution, the impact of climate change and marine renewable energies). The centre is also a reference in applied marine research and management of scientific services, in order to identify best practices, establish synergies and explore ways of transnational collaboration.

During the meeting, the CIM presented in a round table its main lines of work, its operating model as a marine research centre of reference in Galicia and member of the CIGUS Network and its involvement in European scientific infrastructures such as EMBRC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre). The cross-border collaboration ecosystem represented by Campus del Mar, led by the CIM, was also presented.

Sharing experiences and seeking synergies

The meeting allowed for an exchange of experiences on the management and sustainability of marine biological collections, the transfer of knowledge to industry and strategies to make data and services linked to biobanks available to the scientific and industrial communities. This meeting facilitated the identification of opportunities for joint innovation, the promotion of public-private partnerships and the strengthening of the role of science as a driver of transformation in strategic sectors linked to the sea. They were particularly interested in advancing research into the use of wind energy combined with aquaculture and in exploring new possibilities for wave energy.

The Portuguese delegation included Dr. Rui Azevedo, strategic advisor of Fórum Oceano; Margarida Macedo, responsible for the Sustainability Plan of the HAL project; Álvaro Amorim, representing the municipality of Matosinhos; and Diogo Alexandrino, CIIMAR researcher responsible for the biobank of the Blue Hub in Leixões. They were received by the director of the research area of the University of Vigo, Ana Bernabeu; the director of the CIM, Daniel Rey; its deputy director Moncho Gesteira; and the director of the ECIMAT, José Manuel García.

The director of the CIM, Daniel Rey, valued ‘this visit very positively as an opportunity to strengthen our relations with international institutions and share our experiences in marine research’. He also stressed that ‘for the CIM it is essential to establish links with the marine industry at an international level and this meeting reinforces our commitment to the internationalisation of our scientific services and positions us as a strategic partner in the development of a more connected, sustainable and innovative European blue economy’. ‘Transnational collaboration is key to advancing the sustainability of marine ecosystems and we are convinced that, through these exchanges, we will be able to identify new avenues for technological innovation and the conservation of our marine resources,’ he added.

For their part, the representatives of the Leixoes Blue Hub explained that, in addition to the CIM, ‘they are visiting European reference centres, such as the Ifremer in Nantes (France), the Hydraulic Institute of Cantabria and the marine centre of Roscoff (France)’.

Source: cim.uvigo.gal