The Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC) is participating in 18 projects to develop technologies for the sea in Portugal over the next two years. These projects represent 60 million euros worth of investment and are the result of a will to create a cluster of technological competences for the deep sea in Portugal.

“These projects feature a network of 100 partners with whom we are working to go even further in the research for the sea. Of the 60 million euros representing the 18 projects, INESC TEC will be receiving about 20% [11 million euros] and leading four of the projects”, reveals Eduardo Silva, coordinator of INESC TEC’s Centre for Robotics and Autonomous Systems.

Of the 18 integrated projects at INESC TEC, 11 are research and development (R&D) projects, six of which are Portuguese. These projects include Turtle, where the goal is to develop the “first underwater robotic platform for the deep sea in Portugal”, CORAL, which will “develop sensors for exploring resources in the deep sea”, My Tag, where the goal is to “monitor and follow plaice in the sea”, 3Port, which monitors port authority processes in an integrated way, SCAN, which will develop calibration systems for aquaculture, and MareCom, where the goal is to create an alternative solution to satellites and VHF radio technologies, for communications on the high seas.

Three other projects are scientific training projects for the sea — two of them developed by INESC TEC — and the other four are funded by the EEA Grants, a programme developed and funded by Norway (main contributor), Iceland and Liechtenstein. The goal with this programme is to reduce economic and inequalities in the European Economic Space.

One of the two scientific training projects developed by INESC TEC is StrongMar, a human resources project where the goal is to “provide scientific, technological and economy training to a national research group, with the collaboration of top foreign partners”, such as the University of Aberdeen and the NATO Science & Technology Organization. StrongMar aims to “improve the qualifications of human resources, Portuguese  or working in Portugal, to invest in national R&D bringing in European funds, and to contribute to the sustainable exploitation of the scientific, technological and economic potential of the Sea”, Eduardo Silva explains.

Working on these 18 projects, the Portuguese Institute hopes to register “three to five patents” until 2018, as well as “develop 10 to 12 prototypes”, conduct “about 36 operations” at sea, publish about 24 papers on the theme in international journals, increase the number of employees, and have other sea-related projects approved.

The Institute also believes that the request submitted by the Portuguese Government to extend its Continental Shelf – and is now being “analysed by the UN” – may be accepted, which could significantly boost the growth of the country’s area to about “4 million km2”.  This would mean that the country’s area would be 40 times higher than what it is now, giving new momentum to the development of technologies for the sea.

Observador, 25 May 2016