Projects
Reusing Wastewater from Agriculture to Unlock the Potential of Microalgae
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Acronym: REALM
Start date: July 2022
End Date: July 2026
Description: The REALM project brings together greenhouse farmers and microalgae producers to help them overcome some of the biggest challenges they face today. Microalgae are rich in nutrients and are at the base of the food chain. They can be fed to zooplankton which then serve as feed for fish in aquaculture. S2AQUAcoLAB is one of the partners of the project and will add expertise and facilities to test these unique aquaculture feeds that will come out of this truly circular project.
Horizon Europe: Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.
The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports the creation and better diffusion of excellent knowledge and technologies. It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.
Get to know more at Horizon Europe (europa.eu)
Funding Programme: Horizon Europe
Project lead partner: Necton-Companhia Portuguesa De Culturas Marinhas;
Partners:
Biorizon Biotech Sociedad Limitada; Wageningen University;
Turun Yliopisto;
Associacao Oceano Verde Laboratorio Colaborativo Para O Desenvolvimento De Tecnologias E Produtos Verdes Do Oceano;
Universiteit Twente;
European Science Communication Institute (Esci);
Universidad De Cadiz;
Universidad De Almeria;
Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum;
Hubel Verde - Engenharia Agronomica;
Stichting Imec Nederland;
Grupo Empresarial La Cana;
Budget for S2AQUA: 223 541,25 €
Funding Rate: 100%
Website: https://realmalgae.eu/
Technical Training in Aquaculture
Acronym: CaptAQUA
Start date: July 2022
End Date: June 2024
Description: The CaptAQUA project aims to promote capacity building and training of resources working in the field of Aquaculture. Bringing together a group of teachers, trainers and researchers with experience in the areas of business and team management, as well as partners with proven experience in contributing to education and literacy promotion in the areas of ocean literacy, management of marine resources and Aquaculture, the project will allow the recruitment and retention of qualified professionals in traditional and emerging sectors of the blue economy. Thus, it is expected a multiplication of opportunities for success in the area, as well as an increase in the competitiveness of beneficiary companies operating in this sector.
EEA Grants: Through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are partners in the internal market with the Member States of the European Union.
As a way of promoting a continued and balanced strengthening of economic and trade relations, the parties to the EEA Agreement have established a multi-annual financial mechanism, known as EEA Grants.
EEA Grants are aimed at narrowing social and economic disparities in Europe and strengthening bilateral relations between these three countries and the beneficiary countries.
For the period 2014-2021, a total contribution of €2,8 billion has been agreed for 15 beneficiary countries. Portugal will benefit from a sum of €102,7 million.
Get to know more at eeagrants.gov.pt
Funding Entity: EEA Grants
Programme Operator: Ministério da Economia e do Mar e Direção Geral da Política do Mar
Project promotor: S2AQUAcoLAB
Partners:
Flatlantic;
RiaSearch;
NaturaFish;
Budget for S2AQUA: 53 490,00 €
Funding Rate: 90%
Microalgae hydrolysates to replace animal serum in media for cellular aquaculture
Acronym: μCELLAQUA
Start date: December 2022
End Date: December 2023
Description: The S2AQUAcoLAB aims to evaluate the potential of microalgae hydrolysates as an economical nutrient source, capable of supporting the growth of fish cells as an alternative to animal serum in culture media. As part of the commitment to fostering a circular economy, the project will also explore the feasibility of cultivating microalgae using discarded cell medium.
Budget for S2AQUA: 67 500,00 €
Funding Rate: 100%
Identification of biomarkers for the creation of a selection tool for sea breams with different growth profiles in aquaculture productions
Acronym: NanoPEIXE
Start date: January 2022
End Date: June 2023
Description: The main objective of the project is the development of a nano fish identification tool and the consequent optimization of the production process, presenting itself as a huge competitive advantage for the sector, helping in the positive imbalance of the balance (in favor of the promoter and local companies), contributing to make the price of dourada more competitive and accessible to the consumer
Portugal 2020 (PT2020): This is the PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT adopted between Portugal and the Commission, which brings together the activities of the five European Structural and Investment Funds – European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund, European Social Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund – in which the programming principles that enshrine the economic development policy are defined, social and territorial to promote, in Portugal, between 2014 and 2020.
These programming principles are aligned with Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, continuing the EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY.
It is also worth mentioning, in this context, the Research and Innovation Strategy of Portugal for a Smart Specialization in its NATIONAL and REGIONAL components: NORTH | CENTER | LISBON | ALENTEJO | ALGARVE | AZORES | MADEIRA – approved on December 23, 2014, which identifies the great intelligent strategic bets, translated into themes characterized by significant scientific, technological and economic specialization, in which Portugal and its regions hold comparative and competitive advantages or which have shown the potential to emerge as such.
Get to know more at Home - PT2020 (portugal2020.pt)
Funding Programme: Portugal 2020
Project lead partner: Viveiros da Espargueira
Partners:
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera
S2AQUA – Laboratório Colaborativo, Associação para uma Aquacultura Sustentável e Inteligente
RiaSearch
Budget for S2AQUA: 57 930,54 €
Funding rate: 79,52%
Interface Mission
Acronym: MI
Start date: October 2022
End Date: December 2025
Description: The mission of the S2AQUAcoLAB is to boost the aquaculture sector by assuming the role of an interface organization between the industrial, the academic and the research communities by providing the necessary support for knowledge and technology transfer, created by the R&D system and its application to the productive sector
Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR): The Recovery and Resilience Plan is a national programme, with an implementation period until 2026, which aims to implement a set of reforms and investments aimed at restoring sustained economic growth after the pandemic, reinforcing the objective of convergence with Europe over the next decade.
Get to know more at Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência português (recuperarportugal.gov.pt)
Funding Entity: PRR
Budget for S2AQUA: 2 500 000,00 €
Funding Rate: 100%
Blue Bioeconomy Pact
The Blue Bioeconomy Pact aims to develop new products, processes and services resulting from the incorporation of blue bioeconomy goods into new or existing value chains, with a positive impact on the environment, consumers' lives and national exports.
Vertical Algas - Feed
Acronym: SP5
Start date: October 2022
End Date: December 2025
Description: The objective of SP 5 is the development of functional fish rations (Senegal sole, sea bass and sea bream) with the inclusion of extracts and/or biomass of processed algae rich in bioactive molecules. Novel foods are expected to increase the robustness and performance of fish at different stages of the production cycle (larvae, post-larvae and juvenile) by improving response to deleterious events (e.g., stress, infection).
Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR): The Recovery and Resilience Plan is a national programme, with an implementation period until 2026, which aims to implement a set of reforms and investments aimed at restoring sustained economic growth after the pandemic, reinforcing the objective of convergence with Europe over the next decade
.
Get to know more at Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência português (recuperarportugal.gov.pt)
Funding Entity: PRR
Project lead partner: Necton-Companhia Portuguesa De Culturas Marinhas;
Partners: 40 partners
Budget for S2AQUA: 649 000,94 €
Funding Rate: 100%
Vertical Algas - IMTA
Acronym: SP1b
Start date: October 2022
End Date: December 2025
Description: Demonstration and optimization of macroalgae production integrated with fish production, on land and in the open sea, and evaluation of its bioremediation capacity
Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR): The Recovery and Resilience Plan is a national programme, with an implementation period until 2026, which aims to implement a set of reforms and investments aimed at restoring sustained economic growth after the pandemic, reinforcing the objective of convergence with Europe over the next decade.
Get to know more at Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência português (recuperarportugal.gov.pt)
Funding Entity: PRR
Project lead partner: Necton-Companhia Portuguesa De Culturas Marinhas;
Partners: 40 partners
Budget for S2AQUA: 546 400,50 €
Funding Rate: 100%
Portuguese Blue Biobank
Acronym: BioBanco
Start date: October 2022
End Date: December 2025
Description:
In face of global biodiversity losses, due to habitat degradation and pollution, the creation of biodiversity biobanks has been explored as a promising approach for the conservation of endangered species, and its regulated and fair use by scientific and industrial entities. In Portugal, the creation of a national biobank for marine resources is deemed a strategic priority, not only to promote the country’s role in increasing the current knowledge of the planet’s biodiversity, but also to contribute to the international visibility of national bioresources and its economic valorization in international chains.
In view of the above, the Consortium aims to establish the Portuguese Blue Biobank project, focused on the implementation of a national network of marine resources Biobanks, with a dedicated infrastructure and increasingly digitalized tools to enable mapping the national resources, monitorization of their end-uses and distribution (both for commercial exploitation and scientific research), as well as the application of the international Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.
Thus, the Portuguese Blue Biobank initiative will not only promote the transference of knowledge among the blue bioeconomy entities, but also the protection of national bioresources and its economic valorization, as it will enable the commercialization of samples and licensing of IP in global markets, after its integration in the EMBRC and MIRRI European infrastructures. Furthermore, this initiative proposes to address the lack of a concrete legal framework regarding the collection and use of marine bioresources in Portugal, which has been hindering the development and establishment of Blue Bioeconomy activities. Therefore, the Portuguese Blue Biobank members will contribute to the development of support studies and regulation proposals that ensure the national bioresources protection and state the terms and limitations to the different Blue Bioeconomy sectors.
Get to know more at Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência português (recuperarportugal.gov.pt)
Funding Programme: PRR
Project lead partner: CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research
Partners:
CCMAR - Centro de Ciências do Mar;
IPMA - Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera;
Universidade de Aveiro;
IGC - Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência;
IST-ID - Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento;
Universidade Nova de Lisboa;
GreenCoLAB.
Budget for S2AQUA: 374.551,01 €
Taxa de financiamento: 100%