CCMAR, together with MARE, CESAM, CIIMAR and OKEANOS, have signed a manifesto calling for the ocean to be recognised as a strategic domain in national science and innovation policies, advocating an integrated approach to the role of the sea in Portugal’s sustainable development.
We are living through a decisive moment for science, technology and innovation. Climate transition, food and energy security, digital transformation and geopolitical challenges place the ocean at the heart of the solutions that will shape the future of our societies. In this context, the Blue Economy is emerging as a driving force for sustainable development, underpinned by scientific knowledge, innovation and the responsible use of marine resources.
It was with this vision that five of Portugal’s leading centres dedicated to marine research drew up a joint manifesto, arguing that the ocean should be recognised as a Strategic Domain within national science and innovation policies. For the signatories, recognising the Ocean as a Strategic Domain means positioning it as a cross-cutting pillar of public policy, capable of driving the Blue Economy, strengthening maritime sovereignty and security, accelerating the energy and climate transition, and promoting innovation in areas as diverse as data, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and marine biotechnology.
Portugal is uniquely placed to take on this leadership role. With around 97 per cent of its national territory comprising maritime areas, including an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 1.7 million km², the country is exceptionally well-placed to establish the ocean as a strategic asset for knowledge, innovation and international competitiveness.
As a research centre dedicated to marine sciences, CCMAR believes that this recognition will strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to the major challenges of the 21st century, promoting more effective coordination between research, innovation, public policy and a sustainable, competitive and knowledge-based Blue Economy. More than a proposal to reorganise scientific priorities, the manifesto represents a vision for the future: recognising that investing in ocean science is investing in the country’s capacity to respond to the environmental, technological, social and economic challenges that will shape the coming decades.
The manifesto will be presented to the bodies responsible for national science and innovation policies, with the aim of promoting a wide-ranging debate on the strategic role of the ocean in Portugal’s development.
