On October 20th, the workshop “Challenges and Needs of Ocean Stakeholders in Portugal” took place at the University of Aveiro. The event brought together a group of experts and professionals to discuss crucial issues for those working in and for the ocean in Portuguese territory, fostering closer collaboration between academia and entities representing the entire value chain of the sector.
Organized within the framework of the BESIDE and A-AAGORA projects, this event followed a practical working meeting format. Participants engaged in interactive group exercises that resulted in the identification of 60 challenges and 41 information and scientific data needs in the ocean sector.
The event concluded with a lunch that fostered spontaneous and informal sharing of ideas to address the identified challenges, further strengthening the personal and professional connections among participants.
The project teams, in collaboration with CESAM, will now analyze the results of this session and develop proposals for solutions and decision-making support. The information will be presented in a report and executive summary, to be shared with participants in a second session scheduled for February 22, 2024.
This event once again demonstrated the commitment of our researchers to address real societal issues, specifically the challenges of the ocean in Portugal, encouraging even more effective collaboration between academics and stakeholders in the Blue Economy.
Learn more about the BESIDE and A-AAGORA projects.
Text by: Dionísia Laranjeiro, Helena Vieira, Mariana Almeida