Application for Recovery and Resilience Plan funds approved
It will be ‘a living laboratory, essential for the development of services, goods and products in the areas of biotechnology, food and the enhancement of endogenous marine resources’ and will be established in the Fishing Port of Olhão in 2025, following a recently approved application led by the Municipality of Olhão.
The Algarve Blue HUB ‘will be created from the reconstruction and expansion of the existing building on the southern edge of the Olhão port area, on the eastern pier of the fishing port,’ according to the Olhão City Council.
‘In an area of 836 square metres, several laboratories for testing and cultivating marine organisms will be installed, providing the hub with capacity for molecular biology, general biology or pathology, including new technologies and robotics, bioprospecting for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries,’ it adds.
Now that the application has been approved, ‘the process is currently in the architectural and specialised design phase.’
The infrastructure will cost €4.4 million, shared between the Blue Fund and the local authority, and is the result of an application for funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, led by the Municipality of Olhão.
The consortium created to implement this project also includes the University of the Algarve, the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, Docapesca, and S2AQUAcoLAB – Collaborative Laboratory for Sustainable and Intelligent Aquaculture.
‘These are the relevant partners for the implementation of the project, who have committed themselves to creating synergies that will boost development, attract companies and investment, and create jobs,’ says the local authority.
For António Pina, Mayor of Olhão, ‘the aim is to create conditions for a more competitive, cohesive and inclusive maritime economy, but also one that is more decarbonised and sustainable, with a greater capacity to take advantage of the opportunities arising from the climate and digital transitions, while strengthening the training and technical skills of workers and students in the maritime sector.’
News published based on the original news item from Sul Informação: https://www.sulinformacao.pt/2023/03/olhao-vai-ter-um-polo-hub-azul-para-potenciar-a-economia-do-mar/