The final event of the Portuguese demonstrator (DEMO-PT) of the European project A-AAGORA took place on 22 April at the Mestre Hélder Castanheira Auditorium, at the University of Aveiro. The event brought together institutional partners, researchers, stakeholders involved in the project’s Living Lab, and representatives from regional and national organisations linked to the sea and sustainable development.
The initiative began with a welcome lunch, followed by the opening session, which included remarks from Ana Lillebø, scientific coordinator of the A-AAGORA project and researcher at CESAM/DBIO, and Celina Carvalho, representing the Portuguese demonstrator.
The programme featured a plenary session entitled “Restoring with Nature and People: Partners’ Experience and Impact in the Central Region”. This session encouraged the sharing of results and reflection on the project’s legacy, within a collaborative framework based on the Living Lab concept. It was moderated by Filipe Teles, Pro-Rector for Interinstitutional Cooperation in the areas of Regional Development and Urban Policy, and included contributions from DEMO-PT partners such as the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro, the Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Aveiro, the Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente – ARH Centro, PRIO, the Administração do Porto de Aveiro and the Administração do Porto da Figueira da Foz, STRIX, the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, the +ATLANTIC CoLAB, and the University of Aveiro itself.
This was followed by a second plenary session, in which Ana Lillebø presented the objectives and key results achieved by DEMO-PT, highlighting the impact of the solutions developed and their replication potential. The session also included the launch of the project’s book, which brings together the main contributions and lessons learned from the Portuguese demonstrator. The event continued with a visit to the exhibition “Caring for the Sea, Innovating the Future” and concluded with a closing session attended by the Rector, Paulo Jorge Ferreira.
