Final Event of the Portuguese Blue Biobank Project

Under the theme “Portuguese Blue Biobank: Biodiversity and Blue Biotechnology,” the event brought together over 70 researchers and representatives from various national institutions to share the project’s main outcomes and discuss the next steps for its continuation.

The opening session featured remarks by Vítor Vasconcelos, President of CIIMAR, and Íris Sampaio, the project’s Scientific Manager, who provided a historical perspective on blue biobanks, highlighting their growing importance for science and industry, and underlining the strategic role of the Portuguese Blue Biobank within the national landscape.

The event showcased the work developed by the ten marine collections integrated into the project since its launch: LEGE-CC, CM2C and DEEP Biobank (CIIMAR), UA Biobank (University of Aveiro), IPMA Biobank (IPMA), IST-Yeasts and MicroEcoEvo (IST-ID), CCMAR Biobank (CCMAR), S2AQUA Biobank (S2AquaCoLab), and IBAB (Greencolab).

A proposed legislative framework was also presented, led by NOVA University Lisbon, aiming to provide legal certainty for access to and use of marine biological resources.

The event included contributions from Miguel Marques (INOVAMAR), Ricardo Simões (CCDR-N), Narcisa Bandarra (IPMA), and Gonçalo Faria (Fórum Oceano).

Led by CIIMAR, the Portuguese Blue Biobank project creates a digital network of national marine biobanks to facilitate sustainable and regulated access to marine biodiversity for both scientific and industrial users—promoting conservation and compliance with Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) regulations under the Nagoya Protocol.

This project is funded by the PRR (Recovery and Resilience Plan), the Portuguese Republic, and the European Union.