PREMI Project is a collaborative structure of seven entities that aims to boost PREI REM and support CCDR-Norte in entrepreneurial discovery in Marine Resources and Economy.
The PREMI Project – Regional Smart Sea Platform, funded by NORTE20230, is a collaborative structure of seven entities that aims to boost PREI REM and support CCDR-Norte in entrepreneurial discovery in Marine Resources and Economy by identifying priorities, lines of action and structural projects for smart specialisation. The first meeting of the consortium will take place on 3 February.
The field of Marine Resources and Economy (REM) in Portugal still has vast potential to be explored. PREI REM is the Regional Platform for Smart Specialisation dedicated to the area of Marine Resources and Economy in Northern Portugal. With a view to boosting PREI REM and empowering various stakeholders in this field, PREMI – Regional Platform for Smart Sea was established as part of the Northern Region’s Smart Specialisation Strategy.
The mission of this platform is to support the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-Norte) in the entrepreneurial discovery process associated with defining investment priorities, particularly with regard to technological and scientific infrastructure in the field of marine resources and the marine economy.
In practical terms, these processes seek a multi-institutional response that identifies investment priorities in scientific and technological infrastructure, with a strong focus on sustainable growth and digital and social transition. There is also a clear focus on enhancing smart specialisation chains and strengthening the regional innovation system through the skills and involvement of a broad group of stakeholders.
PREMI is formed by a consortium of seven entities, including several public institutions and R&D centres, such as CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research at the University of Porto (lead entity), Fórum Oceano (co-promoter), B2E – Association for the Blue Bioeconomy, CENTITVC – Centre for Nanotechnology and Functional and Intelligent Technical Materials, INESC TEC – Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo and the University of Minho.
In turn, this collective structure distributes its critical mass across six working groups – permanent ocean monitoring; coastal biosystems; biotechnologies and circular economy; aquaculture; ocean energy; advanced materials and ocean technologies – which are expected to identify lines of action and formulate recommendations, priorities and anchor projects for the smart specialisation of the Northern Region.
Vítor Vasconcelos from CIIMAR, leader of PREMI, states that “the project will enable the development and presentation of proposals for entrepreneurial discovery, the definition of anchor projects and the highlighting of the skills necessary for the enhancement of the blue economy in the northern region of Portugal”.
The application for the entrepreneurial discovery process was approved with funding of €646,921 and will remain in force until January 2028.
NORTE 2030 is the Northern Regional Programme for 2021-2027, an investment instrument that mobilises €3.4 billion from European Funds – FEDER, FSE+ and FTJ – to boost the development of the Region.
More information about the Programme: The Programme – Norte2030.
